The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power had to cut off power to more than 1,000 homes on Tuesday after a man climbed a pole in Sylmar.
At around 5 p.m., firefighters went to a neighborhood in the 12200 block of W. Van Nuys Boulevard to help the man, but he refused to come down.
Los Angeles police said he was not suicidal. Instead, they believed he was either high or drunk. While still hanging dangerously close to power lines, the man pulled out what appeared to be a pipe and smoke began pouring out of it.
The incident forced LADWP to initially cut off power to 1,200 surrounding homes. However, the utility rerouted power through other lines, reducing the number of affected residents to about 15.
After about two hours, rescue workers gave up their efforts to help the man because he repeatedly refused to come down. Eventually, he climbed down from the mast and left the area.
The officers did not arrest him.
After it finally disappeared from the power pole, LADWP restored power to the remaining homes.
