10th and Union substation on the Heights where the outage originated.
A Mylar balloon caused thousands to lose power Saturday.
An electrical outage — where roughly 7,540 people in Hood River and Mosier lost power on Saturday afternoon — was caused by a stray helium balloon.
The metal-skinned Mylar balloon drifted away from a celebration and blew into a nearby electrical substation at 10th and Union streets, near Indian Creek. The object made contact with electrical equipment and caused a power short, according to Pacific Power.
“We found unmistakable Mylar shreds when we did the repairs,” Curt Mansfield, vice president of operations at Pacific Power, said.
Recovery was quick. Crews with Pacific Power restored power to homes and businesses within an hour and a half. Power winked out for the Hood River area at 1:01 p.m., and was back in action by 2:30 p.m.
Sometime after 1 p.m., Hood River Fire Department responded to reports of a small explosion and fire.
“I think the fire was pretty much out” by the time engines arrived, according to Hood River Fire Capt. Clay McCrae. Instead, firefighters waited on standby until Pacific Power arrived. By 1:45 p.m., they had left the scene.
Neighbors gathered to watch electric crews survey the scene. A crew member working at the substation said a breaker had been blackened during the explosion. No other significant damage was visible.
Traffic lights went out throughout Hood River. Many downtown businesses closed up shop. Full Sail Brewing Co., for instance, sent some kitchen staff home early due to the power outage.
The power company didn’t have an immediate estimate for when service would return, but a recorded customer service message anticipated 4:30 p.m. Instead, the fix came sooner, and electricity returned to users before 2:30 p.m
While rare, balloon-caused outages aren’t unheard of.
Pacific Power reported 30 such outages in 2015, ranging in duration from a few minutes to several hours. In 2014, a balloon caused a six-hour outage in Seaside in the middle of the July 4 weekend. Balloon-caused outages occur throughout the year, but about one third of them are during May and June when people are celebrating graduations and Father's Day.
"Balloons may seem like small things," Mansfield said, “but when escaped helium-filled balloons touch power lines, transformers or substations, even the smallest amount of metal found in the balloons can conduct electricity, causing damage to lines and power fluctuations or outages in nearby homes and businesses. Balloons also can cause serious personal injury if they make contact with lines when anyone is still touching an attached string.
"About 30 a year is not a lot," Mansfield added. "But all outages inconvenience our customers and these outages are so preventable."
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