Here's How Many Napa, Marin Outages Were Caused By Metallic Balloons

NAPA AND MARIN COUNTIES, CA — Each year around Valentine’s Day, Pacific Gas and Electric Company tends to see an uptick in the number of outages caused by metallic — or mylar — balloons floating into overhead lines.

Metallic balloons conduct electricity and if they float into powerlines, they can disrupt electric service to an entire neighborhood, cause significant property damage and potentially result in serious injuries.

In 2023, metallic balloons striking electric lines caused 332 power outages in PG&E’s service area, knocking out power to more than 157,000 homes and businesses. On average, each customer outage caused by a balloon lasted about 83 minutes.

Last year in Napa and Marin counties, a combined 10 balloon-caused outages knocked out power to 8,233 customers, PG&E North Coast Region Spokesperson Megan McFarland said Wednesday in an email.

In Sonoma County, there were 10 balloon-caused outages last year that knocked out power to 5,638 customers, according to an email Wednesday from PG&E.

And in Humboldt and Lake counties, three balloon-caused outages last year knocked out power to 255 customers.

That is why PG&E reminds customers that sparks — and not just the romantic kind — can fly on Feb. 14 if such balloons are not properly secured.

For those celebrating with metallic balloons, PG&E offered the following safety tips:

• 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.

"Balloons are a fun way to liven up Valentine’s celebrations, but if they aren’t tied down with a weight, it’s easy for them to float into overhead power lines and disrupt service to entire communities," said Ron Richardson, vice president of Electric Distribution Operations at PG&E. "Keep your holidays and hometowns safe by ensuring metallic balloons are secured by a weight."