Local police are reporting more copper wire thefts in the area.
Superior East Ontario Provincial Police say members of the local detachment and the East Algoma detachment responded on Tuesday to reports of thefts from two Bell tower sites along Highway 129.
The thefts at towers near Flame Lake and Aubrey Falls happened sometime Saturday afternoon, with the thieves taking about $20,000 worth of copper from each site, while about $80,000 in damage was done to the Flame Lake site.
In addition, Superior East OPP say security guards at the Alamos Gold Mine near Dubreuilville saw two roughly 30-year-old Caucasian men running away from the mine's scrap metal heap around 8 o'clock Sunday morning - it's estimated they took $50,000 to $60,000 worth of copper before leaving in a white Toyota pickup truck towing a utility trailer.
Though they aren't confirming the incidents are linked, Superior East OPP note there have been at least six "significant" copper thefts from remote locations in the area since mid-June, with some areas even struck more than once.
Last month, Superior East OPP noted a copper wire theft from a Bell tower construction site near Montreal River Harbour, and noted there had been recent thefts from the Bell tower site near Flame Lake and another near Wangoon Lake.
Anyone with information about any of these incidents is urged to call police or Crime Stoppers.