Needles, CA: Vandals Cause Electrical Fire and Power Outage. At around 4:30pm PT Tuesday afternoon, San Bernardino County Fire Department responded to an electrical fire behind the Bashas’ Grocery Store just south of Ice Plant Road; just east of East Broadway in Needles, California. “It’s pretty apparent that someone was trying to steal the cable going up the pole not realizing the cable was energized,” said City of Needles Line Crew Supervisor Jack Lindley. City of Needles Line Crew Supervisor Jack Lindley told ZachNews that the electrical switch for this power line was open at the time of the incident. “The person probably assume the switch being open that this power was turned off and the power was being back feed from the other direction; and so when they cut this in two to cut the cables, it blow up on them and caught the pole and the desert on fire,” City of Needles Line Crew Supervisor Jack Lindley. The electrical fire caused a power outage to the Needles Towne Center as well as the eastern side of Front Street in Downtown Needles. Power was restored to all of the affected areas around 5pm PT Tuesday afternoon. San Bernardino County Sheriff Department is searching for the vandals who tried to steal some electrical wires and caused a power outage. If you have any information on this incident, Please contact the San Bernardino County Sheriff Department at the Colorado River Station at: 1 (760) 326-9200 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Video of the Power Line Fire in Needles, California at ZachNews on YouTube. ZachNews on YouTube: http://youtu.be/qmfUuOEbTx8 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -