2 men injured, arrested in theft of copper wire

Two men who allegedly were stripping copper wire from abandoned buildings ended up bruised, burned and busted, police said Thursday.

One of two men arrested in connection with the theft Wednesday night was hospitalized at a trauma center after he cut into a live wire and caught fire. The 35-year-old man, whose name has not been released, was in critical condition, said Sgt. Rick Martinez of the Anaheim Police Department.

The second suspect, 26-year-old Nathaniel Paulo of Fullerton, injured his head after falling.

Officers were alerted to the incident at the old H. Koch & Sons building in the 5400 block of East La Palma Avenue by someone in the vicinity. When they arrived, they found a man on the ground, afire.

Copper prices have more than tripled in recent years.