Thieves target fire hydrants

GLENDALE — Police are asking the public to be on the look out for anyone acting suspiciously near city fire hydrants after two were recently stolen.

City employees on July 31 learned that the two hydrants were unbolted and stolen from concrete sidewalks on Glenoaks Boulevard and San Fernando Road, said Mike Romanino, water systems operations supervisor at Glendale Water & Power.

“I am hoping it doesn’t get out of control because it could be catastrophic if they are not there when they are needed,” Romanino said.

The two stolen hydrants have been replaced, but city Water & Power and police department officials fear the thefts could continue if the thieves are not caught.

It costs $1,500 to replace a fire hydrant.

People who appear to be official workers, such as those clad in a uniform, and are tampering with the hydrants should also be reported to police, Glendale police Sgt. Vahak Mardikian said.

“We’ll go out there and check to see if that person should be there,” Mardikian said. “They [the public] should give us a call if they see any suspicious activity and maybe we’ll make that break in the case.”

The thieves had to be knowledgeable about hydrants in order to steal them, Mardikian said.

“You need to know a lot about it to be able to turn off the water and unbolt the hydrant,” he said.

The thieves shut off the main water valve from the street and unbolted the hydrants from the sidewalks, Mardikian said.

The hydrants were stolen from busy streets and were likely taken during the early morning hours, he said.

A hydrant weighs between 80 and 150 pounds, Romanino said.

The thieves might have dismantled the hydrants into numerous parts and sold the pieces as scrap metal, Mardikian said.

“There are opportunities out there to sell parts for money,” he said.

A thief can likely get $100 for a stolen hydrant, since the price for a pound of scrap metal at a recycling yard ranges from 75 cents to $1.75, Romanino said.

Though stealing an entire fire hydrant is not common in Glendale, thefts of fire hydrant caps are more likely to occur, Mardikian said. The caps are made of bronze, making it more valuable during a cash exchange, he said.

Water & Power keeps a map of the city’s fire hydrants, and its employees try to keep a close eye on them.

But since there are hundreds of hydrants in the city, it is difficult to monitor each one, Romanino said.

Fire hydrants in the city are situated 500 feet apart for Glendale Fire Department hose access, fire Capt. Tom Propst said. If a fire occurs, several missing fire hydrants could cause major problems, Propst said.

“It’s a disservice to us,” he said.

Police are investigating the thefts.

Anyone with information on the hydrant thefts can call police at (818) 547-3127 or leave an anonymous tip at (818) 507-STOP.

 VERONICA ROCHA covers public safety and the courts. She may be reached at (818) 637-3232 or by e-mail at veronica.rocha@latimes.com.