SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco Police say a thief who tried to steal some copper wire on Friday afternoon shouldn't be difficult to find. Investigators say the man used a hacksaw to cut through a live wire carrying 12,000 volts of electricity.

The effort resulted in a flash fire and the San Francisco Fire Department says the thief likely suffered serious injuries or at the very least, burned his hands. It could have been a fatal decision, "any live line can be extremely dangerous, past attempts at stealing copper wiring have resulted in electrocutions and serious injuries," says Joe Molica of PG&E.

Investigators say incident happened just after 1:00 PM near Lake Merced. They say the suspect dropped evidence as he ran away, leaving behind a hacksaw blade and a torn up glove.

PG&E says the attempt to cut the line ended up cutting power to about 500 customers. The utility company says it took about 90 minutes to restore power.

Interestingly, PG&E says the line which was cut was made mostly of aluminum, which isn't nearly as valuable as copper. "Copper theft i an issue we've been dealing with for many years, and that's why I say we have collaborative efforts with law enforcement and recyclers to prevent such thefts," says Molica.

Officials say even if the thief snagged the wire, the nearest scrap yard is on the otherside of San Francisco.