Thousands of Orange County residents were impacted by an overnight power outage on Thursday, which officials believe was caused when a mylar balloon came in contact with a power line.
They say that this time of year always triggers an increase in similar incidents, especially due to the slew of graduations taking place across the state.
“We urge customers to handle these balloons property and understand how to dispose of them,” said Gabriela Ornelas, a spokesperson with Southern California Edison. “So, by that we mean having them properly secured to a weight, never releasing them outdoors and always remembering to puncture the balloons when they’re ready to dispose of them and throw them away in a trash can.”…