GAINESVILLE, Ga. — Authorities are investigating after thieves were electrocuted and killed overnight in a heist at a power substation, the Gainesville Police said.
Crews were called to a transformer fire at 2100 Atlanta Highway around 3 a.m. Monday. When the emergency responders arrived, they said they found two men dead from apparent electrocution.
Gainesville Fire Department and Georgia Power worked to ensure the area was safe for responders. They were also able to recover the bodies of the two men, officials said.
So far, investigators said it seems the two men trespassed, broke into a fenced area and tried to steal from a power substation when they were electrocuted and killed. Investigators are still working to identify them.
"It is believed their intentions were to steal wiring and other mechanisms of the substation," Gainesville Police Lieutenant Kevin Holbrook told 11Alive Monday afternoon. "We have not had any recent issues of this nature."
A Georgia Power spokesperson said Monday that the substation did not belong to the company, but was privately owned by the adjacent business.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to call the Gainesville Police Department.