Metallic balloons that make contact with electrical equipment is one of the most common causes of power outages in Los Angeles. During the week of April 28-May 4, 2025, at least five recorded power outages occurred due to metallic balloons colliding with LADWP’s energized equipment. These incidents caused nearly 3,000 LADWP customers to lose power – some lasting a few minutes and two lasting between one to four hours.
“Letting go of a Mylar balloon can ruin a celebration and impact hundreds of homes and businesses,” said David Hanson, LADWP’s Senior Assistant General Manager of the Power System. “In the months of May and June when metallic balloons are especially prevalent for celebrations, we want to bring awareness that if improperly handled, they can cause power outages that can take hours or longer to repair, endangering the public and our crews. We need everyone’s help to skip mylars altogether or tie down their metallic balloons to prevent ruining the party.”
California Penal Code Section 653.1 also requires all metallic balloons to be anchored with a weight to prevent them from going into power lines. When selling metallic balloons, florists and other merchants are advised to always check that the balloons are properly weighed down and tell customers to not release them outdoors…