Rewards Offered in Fire Hydrant Thefts

Local water district officials are offering $500 rewards for information that leads to arrests in connection with a rash of missing fire hydrants.

Eastern Municipal Water District has experienced 43 missing fire hydrants in the last 60 days, according to a news release.

Five fire hydrants were discovered missing this week from the Southshore Elementary School in Menifee and three in the surrounding neighborhood, said Roxanne Rountree, spokesperson for Eastern Municipal Water District.

"EMWD sent crews out, who worked diligently to get the hydrants replaced. Missing fire hydrants jeopardize the health and safety of the students as well as others in the surrounding community," Rountree said.

In June, arrests were made in several .

"If residents note any activity around fire hydrants and there is no uniformed EMWD worker or EMWD truck in the vicinity, they should note the license plate number and report it to the District; they will be eligible for a reward if this leads to prosecution," Rountree said.

EMWD Board Member Ron Sullivan is urging customers to call 911 with any information related to the fire hydrants missing from Menifee.

"I want customers to understand that missing hydrants present a serious safety issue. If there was a fire in the area served by the stolen fire hydrants, it could cause extreme delays in the ability of the Fire Department to respond. That hydrant is all that stands between the first spark and thousands of dollars’ worth of fire loss and possible injury," Sullivan said in a news release Friday.

Fire hydrants are approximately 26 inches tall and weigh an estimated 150 pounds.

EMWD officials believe this is an escalation in the ongoing problem of thieves removing the hydrants for the purpose of selling them for scrap metal, Rountree said.

"The thieves cause EMWD thousands of dollars in damage while the thieves end up with pennies on the dollar," Rountree said.

Eastern, Western, and Elsinore Valley Municipal Water Districts have agreed to a $500 reward to anyone for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of individuals for vandalism or theft of fire hydrants and other metal facilities.

At least 14 backflow devices have been , according to the Murrieta Police Department.

The $500 rewards would be funded by the water agency in which the crime occurred.

The districts advise anyone who sees suspicious activity around a fire hydrant or other related facilities to call their local law enforcement, or 911. If vandalism has already occurred to facilities, citizens are asked to contact the water agencies directly.