PORT ANGELES — Mylar balloons caused a six-hour power outage Sunday night that affected several blocks in the Lincoln School neighborhood, said Craig Fulton, director of public works.
At its height, 612 customers lost power in the outage, he said.
At about 8 p.m., someone released the mylar balloons, and they tangled in the power lines at the intersection of West Fifth and C streets, causing the lines to short out, Fulton said.
Power initially went out for about 200 city customers, and a crew was on scene to begin repairs by 10 p.m., he said.
However, the outage expanded to additional areas around the initial outage, with the final area totaling 612 customers.
Repair crews had to de-energize the surrounding lines for the safety of the public and crew, said George Drake, city light operations manager.
Power was restored at about 2:30 a.m. Monday, he said.
Drake said there was no indication of who released the balloons.
“There was nothing left of the balloons. Only the string they were bound with,” he said.
