About 1,300 residents of Champaign and Urbana were without electricity for about three hours on Friday night, and Ameren Illinois is warning others so that it won’t happen again.
A spokesman for the company says that party balloons became entangled in power lines near Campustown around 7:30 Friday night, causing a power outage that lasted for about three hours. Power was restored around 10:30 p.m.
With warmer weather and the outdoor party season underway, Ameren says that customers should keep balloons made of Mylar away from power lines. They say the balloons are metallic and conduct electricity, and can knock out power, start fires and damage the electric grid.
If anyone sees a party balloon entangled in a power line, they should call 800-755-5000 and not attempt to remove the balloon themselves.
