Mylar balloons cause thousands of Valley customers to temporarily lose power

PHOENIX – Mylar balloons caused thousands of Valley customers to temporarily lose power over the weekend, prompting utility officials to issue a warning about the shiny party favors.

Arizona Public Service said foil balloons caused outages that affected about 2,700 customers in Peoria on Saturday afternoon and about 6,000 customers in Chandler on Sunday night.

With springtime party season here, Arizona Public Service is warning the public about the dangers of Mylar balloons. This video from APS shows what can happen when the shiny balloons contact power lines. pic.twitter.com/T6CnFDBywm

— KTAR News 92.3 (@KTAR923) March 31, 2026

The Peoria outage lasted about a minute, while electricity was restored within an hour in Chandler, APS said.

Mylar balloons get their shine from a conductive metallic coating that can wreak havoc if it touches power lines. The balloons can cause short circuits or power surges that can lead to widespread outages and even fires.

Utility companies typically see a rise in Mylar balloon incidents during the springtime and around Valentine’s Day.

Here are some Mylar balloon safety tips

APS is urging the public to heed the following safety tips:

• Even without Mylar coatings, balloons can knock out electricity if they get tangled up in power lines, so all balloons should be kept indoors.
• Mylar balloons should be secured with a weight, tied down or tethered.
• If a balloon, kite or other object gets caught in a power line, don’t try to retrieve it. Instead, report it to the APS Outage Hotline by calling 602-371-3680 or 855-688-2437 or visiting aps.com/outage.
• Deflate all balloons when done using them and properly dispose of them.
• Keep yourself and all items at least 100 feet away from power lines and always assume the lines are energized.

More tips about staying safe around electricity can be found on the APS website.

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