Thieves steal copper wire from California bakery AC during heatwave

A Pasadena bakery is sweating through a nightmare after crooks stripped away $4,000 worth of copper wire from the air conditioning system on the business’s rooftop.

In addition to the stolen copper, the heist also left the Sweet Red Peach Bakery to foot a $15,000 bill due to damages, according to Pasadena police.

“On the very first day of this intense heat wave, someone stole our AC unit,” the bakery shared on its Instagram page.

Without air conditioning, the temperature inside the store rose to a sweltering 90 degrees amid the heatwave. The cakes in the bakery were melting and the freezing units were on the verge of failing.

“It’s just trying times, it just makes you think, ‘What’s next?’” co-owner Danny Griffin told ABC News, refusing to shut down the store on Arroyo Parkway in Pasadena.

“It was the last thing in our mind to think that somebody would go on our roof and hit our specific AC unit and damage it to the point where it’s inoperable,” Griffin said, per the news outlet.

The bakery’s co-owner Kenyatta Glover said that the shop has hardly recovered from the Eaton Fire and now a new challenge has emerged out of nowhere.

“You have to smile to keep from crying, but it’s a lot, because we’re human. One can only take so much,” she said.

The duo is embracing the challenges with faith and turning to God to keep the ovens running.

“Lord Jesus Christ is my savior, and I think God’s going to take care of it… you can’t have a testimony without a test,” Griffin said.

The bakery is not the only business hit by the heist. A nearby Trek Bicycle store has endured three incidents in the last seven months, resulting in a loss of nearly $100,000.

The community isn’t shying away from helping their beloved bakery in times of crisis. Regular customers like Ken Hitts are still frequenting the store to buy their favorite treats.

“I’ve been trying to support Danny and particularly African-American businesses, because they struggle probably more so than other businesses,” Hitts told ABC News. 

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