Metallic balloon causes another power outage in Salinas Sunday

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) A power outage impacting 4,029 customers in Salinas happened at around 4:47 p.m. on Sunday.

A PG&E spokeswoman tells KION a Mylar balloon, made of a metallic material, caused the outage after it hit power lines. Crews removed the balloons and power was restored at 5:30 p.m.

Mylar balloons caused another power outage in the Monterey Peninsula earlier in May.

PG&E says these types of balloons have become common in causing power outages, and they have provided safety information below:

• The number of power outages caused by metallic balloons in PG&E's service area has more than doubled over the past decade.
• Metallic balloons that contact overhead power lines can disrupt electric service to an entire neighborhood, cause significant property damage and potentially result in serious injuries.
• PG&E reminds customers to always use caution and avoid celebrating with metallic balloons near overhead electric lines.
• Make sure helium-filled metallic balloons are securely tied to a weight that is heavy enough to prevent them from floating away. Never remove the weight.
• When possible, keep metallic balloons indoors. Never permit metallic balloons to be released outside, for everyone's safety.
• Do not bundle metallic balloons together.
• Never attempt to retrieve any type of balloon, kite or toy that becomes caught in a power line. Leave it alone, and immediately call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000 to report the problem.