LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The massive power outage in downtown Las Vegas last week caused blackouts for over 7,000 people and disrupted Fremont Street businesses and casinos.
In just a few hours, NV Energy had repaired the outage and reported the cause: a mylar balloon tangled in a transmission line.
WATCH: Utility crews demonstrate the destruction of mylar balloons on power lines
A few days later, the utility company gave Channel 13 a demonstration of why mylar balloons in particular are so problematic. The foil balloons — you can typically find them at any grocery store — are conductive. That means they will form an electric pathway and cause explosions if they hit a power line.
This spring, the City of Las Vegas made it illegal to knowingly release mylar balloons into the air and NV Energy reports it's one of the major causes of power outages in Las Vegas.
"Releasing them and letting them fly up into the air, when they come down they wrap themselves up in our power lines and that's when the outages occur," said Shannon Gregory, NV Energy's Director of Operations South.
"Balloon releases are a beautiful thing, they go up into the heavens, but they do have consequences," said Shawn Feeley who runs Balloons Unlimited LLC., a local balloon supply company.
Feeley knows that better than most. He's been working with balloons for more than 35 years and says mylar balloons are some of his best sellers, though he's never been shy about the fact they could be problematic for our power grid.
"Everybody always wants to release those, and it's just not a safe thing to do," Feeley said. "They have to be tied down really tightly, because it's made out of material that's very slippery. If it's a windy day, hold the mylar and not the string on the balloon."
Both Feeley and NV Energy say proper disposal of foil balloons eliminates the risk of power outages.
"Pop the balloon, throw it in the trash," Gregory said. "If you pop these things and release the gases, then dispose of them in the trash that solves all of our problems."
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