Thousands of residents in Aspen, Colorado, went unheated during a nearly zero degree climate after vandals – possibly green activists from an environmental group – attacked the city’s gas system, officials said on Monday.
The vandals apparently attacked three separate Black Hills Energy gas lines, one in Aspen and two in Pitkin County, leaving about 3,500 residents shaking in their homes on Saturday night, The Aspen Times reported.
The Aspen Police Department said the words “Earth first!” were written on a tube near Aspen. It is unclear whether the environmental group “Earth First!” was behind the vandalism.
Aspen’s deputy police chief, Bill Linn, believes the vandals would have to be familiar with the gas system to put the scheme into practice.
“They tampered with the flow lines,” said Linn. “They shut down the gas lines.”
The police struggled to distribute thousands of space heaters to residents, while Black Hill Energy continued to work on Tuesday to restore the gas.
Aspen is expected to reach a low of minus four degrees on Tuesday night, according to the National Weather Service.
The FBI intervened to help investigate the matter.