Two separate power outages in Berkeley yesterday were caused by metallic balloons triggering shortages short circuits, according to a PG&E spokesperson.
Over 5,800 customers lost power before 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, and a separate outage affected 1,000 customers just before midnight.
Power was restored to most of the customers from the earlier outage by 8:00 p.m., but some customers only had power restored at around 5:00 a.m. this morning.
According to PG&E, there were 250 outages last year in northern and central California caused by helium-filled metallic balloons.
The company urges people to ensure metallic balloons are secured to a weight that prevents them from floating away. It advises to avoid bundling balloons.
And if a balloon does become entangled in a power line, never attempt to retrieve it, the company says.
