Nearly 2,200 Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers in the Sawtelle and Westwood areas in West Los Angeles were without power Saturday due to metallic balloons that floated into power lines.
The afternoon outages were in the Sawtelle and Westwood neighborhoods. The LADWP reported at about 1 p.m. that utility crews were responding to the communities.
Power was restored to more than 500 Westwood customers by 6:15 p.m. The 1639 customers in the Sawtelle neighborhood had power restored by 6:45 p.m.
Power was restored to all West LA-area customers affected by the outage shortly after 7 p.m., the LADWP said.
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Metallic, or mylar, balloons have a conductive material that causes a short circuit when they contact energized power lines.
Click here for LADWP's updated outage map.
The agency offers the following tips when handling mylar balloons.
- Always attach a weight to mylar balloons
- Never release a mylar balloon outdoors
- Keep mylar balloons away from power lines
- Never use metallic ribbon with mylar balloons
- Always deflate mylar balloons and dispose of them properly
LADWP crews are responding to a power outage in the West Los Angeles area caused by metallic balloons. Service will be restored as quickly and safely as possible.
— LADWP (@LADWP) January 4, 2025
