LANSING, MI — Yesterday’s power outage in Lansing and parts of Delta Township, affecting approximately 3,000 Board of Water and Light customers, was caused by a helium-filled mylar balloon that became entangled in a power line on Waverly Road just south of Michigan Avenue, according to a BWL statement.
Mylar balloons often have a shiny external coating that contains aluminum, which readily conducts electricity, BWL says. The Tuesday outage began at 2:40 p.m. and lasted approximately one hour.
“When tangled in power lines, metal-coated mylar balloons can cause fires and downed lines, which is dangerous to the public and BWL employees alike. In yesterday’s case, the power line caught fire, broke in two, with a section of the line making contact with the ground,” BWL said.
Downed power lines can be reported to BWL by calling 877-295-5001.
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