A Pair of Mylar Balloons Get Caught In Energized Power Lines Causing a Dramatic Explosion
A pair of mylar balloons got stuck on an energized power line and ended up causing a large explosion in Long Beach, California last month. According to a tenant of the building, the Southern California Edison power company was working on fixing a previous power outage when the pair of mylar balloons showed up on the power line. The SCE workers who were fixing the line, luckily got down from the pole to safety before it all went down.
Mylar balloons flew and stuck onto the line as my crew was working on power lines. I instructed the two crew members to climb down the pole to be safe in case they caused an explosion from contact. I called to have the line de-energized. Before the line could be de-energized they made a line to ground contact causing an explosion and burning down 2 of the 3 lines.
Help prevent outages/safety hazards by properly securing metallic balloons to a weight & never release them outdoors https://t.co/HmtBX8vdx5 https://t.co/rBKbtqWTOv
- SCE (@SCE) July 19, 2017
Safety #Tip: When disposing of ?, puncture them before throwing them away so they don't float away. https://t.co/rEUHWPcsxF pic.twitter.com/eisEP8myqu
- SCE (@SCE) July 24, 2017
Always tie metallic balloons to a weight, as required by California law. ? pic.twitter.com/PTisDMc8gO
- SCE (@SCE) July 19, 2017