A fire hydrant was stolen in Morongo Valley Wednesday morning (August 21), causing $15,000 dollars in damage.
According to information provided by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, some time early Wednesday morning, an unknown person or people wrapped a chain around a fire hydrant at the intersection of Lanning Lane and Elm Lane in Morongo Valley.
An employee of Golden State Water, which provides water to the Morongo Valley area as well as other communities told deputies that he received an alert about low chlorine levels at approximately 6 a.m., and that led to his discovery of the theft.
With the hydrant gone, water continued to flow into the area. There were no reports of nearby property suffering from flood damage.
Golden State Water shut water off to the area briefly while repairs were made. They estimated the cost of the damage and repairs to be $15,000. The fire hydrant has not yet been replaced, but Golden State Water Company said that it is considered a priority.
Golden State Water Company told Z107.7 that, “fire hydrant theft in the Morongo Valley community is very rare. Operations cannot recall the last time this occurred.”
A fire hydrant was stolen in Twentynine Palms on (June 30) near the intersection of David Way and Sierra Avenue, within the jurisdiction of the Twentynine Palms Water District. Deputies say that unknown subjects turned water off to the hydrant, then cut the entire head of the fire hydrant off. They believe that the suspects carried the hydrant off via a quad runner or bicycle.
It is unknown if these thefts are related.
