Topic: ramblings
Valentine Balloon Blamed for Power Outage
Feb 15, 5:16 PM (ET)
MISHAWAKA, Ind. (AP) - A Valentine's Day balloon caused an electrical outage affecting more than 2,100 homes and businesses, power company officials said.
The outage occurred Sunday night when a heart-shaped metallic Mylar balloon drifted into an electrical substation, said Phil Miller, the general manager of Mishawaka Utilities.
"It said 'I Love You' on it," he said. "It looks like someone didn't hold onto their Valentine's gift tightly enough."
Miller said the balloon, trailing a wet string, drifted into the substation near the University Park mall in the city just east of South Bend.
The string caused a short circuit in a bank of capacitors, which are components that store electrical charges within the city's power transmission network.
"(The balloon) didn't look too pretty when we pulled it out of there," Miller said.
Power was restored to most customers within an hour, he said.
