A pair of weekend power outages affecting nearly 9,000 Valley customers had an unlikely culprit: Mylar balloons.
Arizona Public Service reported that foil balloons triggered two separate incidents — one Saturday afternoon in Peoria that left roughly 2,700 customers without electricity, and another Sunday night in Chandler that affected approximately 6,000 more. The Peoria outage was brief, lasting about a minute, while Chandler customers waited up to an hour for power to be restored.
Mylar balloons are coated with a metallic material that conducts electricity. When one of these balloons drifts into a power line, it can cause a short circuit or power surge capable of knocking out service across a wide area — and in some cases, sparking fires. Utility companies see a predictable spike in these incidents during spring and around Valentine’s Day, when balloon use increases.
APS is using the incidents as an opportunity to remind the public of some basic precautions. All balloons — not just Mylar — should be kept indoors whenever possible, as even standard balloons can cause problems if they become entangled in power lines. Foil balloons specifically should always be secured with a weight or tether to prevent them from floating away. When balloons are no longer being used, they should be deflated and disposed of properly rather than released.
If a balloon or any other object gets caught in a power line, APS strongly advises against attempting to retrieve it. Instead, residents should report it to the APS Outage Hotline at 602-371-3680 or 855-688-2437, or through aps.com/outage. Anyone near power lines should maintain at least 100 feet of distance and always treat the lines as energized.
