Next time you think about letting your balloons out into the wild, don’t.
Not only can they be harmful to wildlife, but apparently they can also cause widespread power outages.
According to BC Hydro, some mischievous balloons were on the loose Wednesday afternoon when they struck a power line near Quadra and Yates.
Update: crews have now restored power in Victoria. Thanks to all for your patience! https://t.co/cDQvqACUGz
— BC Hydro (@bchydro) August 24, 2017
Thousands of BC Hydro Customers Affected
The contact proved not only fatal to the balloons, but also to the power supply of over 5200 BC Hydro customers.
The outage affected homes and businesses in downtown Victoria, Fairfield, and Fernwood. Some customers in Oaklands and James Bay also experienced outages.
See also: We found out why there are helmets attached to power lines around town
Victoria Buzz also received several reports of traffic lights being out at multiple locations, including Fort, Quadra and Cook streets.
BC Hydro dispatched a crew to remove the balloon and fix the service interruption. Power was restored at around 5:50 p.m.
