A fire that left 14,000 Dublin homes without electricity on Sunday night (April 17) was sparked by thieves attempting to steal copper wire from an ESB substation in Inchicore, Dublin. It is reported the fire started just before 7.30pm on Sunday evening and the overall cost of the incident is estimated at up to €10 million. In a campaign launched last year, ESB Networks warned of the dangers of interfering with its electricity infrastructure. “The theft of live copper lines has been an issue for ESB Networks for some time. Not only are the perpetrators of this illegal activity putting their lives at risk, they are also endangering the lives of members of the public by leaving potentially unsafe live network after them,” said Senan Colleran,  head of distribution and customer services, ESB Networks. “There is the extreme danger of severe injury or fatality when attempting to steal live electricity lines or metal from ESB Networks high voltage substations. This theft results in the loss of electricity supply to customers and causes significant inconvenience to our customers while the repair works are carried out by our crews,” he added. Over the last four years 150km of copper valued at €3 million has been stolen costing the company €28 million to replace. ESB spokesman Conor Healy told the Irish Times that over the last few weeks the company have endured several break-ins, including multiple break-ins on the same day. Mr Healy said the attack on 220kV ESB substation at Jamestown Road, Inchicore, was the worst he had seen in almost 30 years.