Your Celebration Might Leave Others in the Dark
This summer, beware of balloon and lantern releases
As summer kicks off with graduations, gender reveals and other outdoor festivities, remember that some celebrations can lead to unexpected— and unwanted — power outages.
The culprit? Foil-coated Mylar balloons and certain lanterns. Their metallic components act as conductors, allowing electricity to travel through them. When they drift into power lines, they can short transformers, melt wires and even ignite fires.
“People who release balloons and other airborne objects no longer have control over them once they float away. Wind can catch these items and blow them into power lines,” said Jamie Stack, general manager of DLC’s Operations Center. “These events are known to impact the reliability of our power system when drifting objects encounter electrical infrastructure.”
In 2024 alone, airborne objects like balloons and lanterns caused 5,229 power outages across our service territory in Allegheny and Beaver counties. These incidents severely disrupted homes, businesses and even traffic signals.
Metallic balloons have been known to float for several days before losing helium. If one gets caught on electrical infrastructure, including transmission lines, it can cause significant damage and more work for crews.
“To ensure public safety, crews must deenergize the lines to clear the debris,” added Stack. “This requires DLC to take resources away from other critical work to address the issue in a timely and safe manner.”
Celebrate Safely
If you still choose to use metallic balloons at your next celebration, here are some helpful tips:
- Always tie your balloons down or use a weight, especially when outside.
- Do not intentionally release any balloons.
- It is safest to keep metallic balloons inside. In fact, some parks have banned metallic balloons on their property, so be aware of such warnings.
- Never tie a metallic ribbon on your balloon. Also, never tie a metallic balloon to a child’s wrist. If the balloon comes in contact with electricity, it will act as a conduit, potentially causing serious injury or death.
- When no longer in use, puncture and deflate the balloons before creatively reusing or disposing of them.
- Under no circumstances should anyone aside from a trained electric utility worker attempt to retrieve tangled objects from power lines or other electrical equipment. Call DLC at 412-393-7000 to report any concerns.
While balloons and lanterns can add joy to a celebration, it’s critical to use them safely and responsibly. It’s not recommended to release them willingly into the environment.
Remember, your celebration should never cause someone else’s power outage.