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Thousands of residents and businesses in Colorado were left without power over the weekend, after multiple gas lines were cut in the area.
The FBI has joined a criminal investigation into what local authorities called an “intentional attack” on gas lines in Aspen, Colorado, on Saturday night, which left thousands of residents without heating.
One Black Hills Energy gas line was targeted in Aspen, while two more were attacked in Pitkin County on Saturday, which left around 3,500 residents without heating until at least Tuesday night.
Crews were working on Tuesday to restore the gas lines to residents, as local authorities handed out around 6,000 portable electric heaters to those who had been without heating since Saturday.
The local authorities said that several businesses and restaurants had to close for a few days because of the attack on the gas lines, according to ABC News.
Black Hills Energy tweeted late on Tuesday that it expected “2,000 customers” to have energy restored by the end of the day, but confirmed that 1,500 households would be left without heating for the time being.
The attack came as Aspen experienced a drop in temperature, as the area fell to 4F (-16C) on Tuesday night and is expecting 8in of snow within the next week.
Aspen police are investigating whether Earth First!, which describes itself as a “radical environmental group”, coordinated the attack, as “Earth first” was tagged on one of the sites that was targeted.
The Independent has contacted the website of Earth First! for comment on the claims.
Aspen assistant police chief Bill Linn told reporters on Tuesday that the perpetrators appeared to “have some familiarity” with the gas systems. “They tampered with flow lines. They turned off gas lines,” he added.
Mr Linn confirmed that there were no cameras at any of the sites, but said that physical evidence found included footprints in the snow. He said that the FBI is helping with the investigation.
Pitkin County Commissioner Patti Clapper, who lost her heat due to the attack, told The Aspen Times: “It’s almost, to me, an act of terrorism. It’s trying to destroy a mountain community at the height of the holiday season. This wasn’t a national gas glitch.
She added: “This was a purposeful act. Someone is looking to make a statement of some kind.”
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