Copper wire stripped from 7 AC units at a Madera elementary school

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Madera police are looking for thieves who stripped seven air conditioning units of copper wire over the weekend.

The units were on top of the roof at James Madison Elementary. School officials are now reviewing surveillance cameras and trying to figure out why the alarm never sounded to notify police of the noisy crime.

Investigators believe more than one person took part in the theft that could cost the district up to $35,000 to repair.

"The value of the metal itself in the air conditioning units was $2,800. But the units are basically unusable now and will need more than just the raw parts to become functional again."

Police believe the copper wire was stolen sometime between Friday night and Monday morning.

Detectives are also contacting local recyclers looking for any sign of who is responsible.

Fortunately, the wire only affected the air conditioning systems at the school, not heating.

Watch the video for extended coverage from Action News reporter Sontaya Rose.