PG&E Warns Metallic Valentine's Balloons Cause Hundreds of Outages, Serious Safety Risk

PG&E flags metallic Valentine's Day balloons as serious, preventable hazard

Balloons, power lines and safety guidance

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. warns that metallic (foil) balloons commonly used for Valentine's Day are causing serious, avoidable outages and safety risks across its Northern and Central California service area. The utility says metallic balloons are highly conductive and can remain aloft for weeks, allowing them to contact overhead power lines days or weeks after a celebration and trigger instant outages, equipment damage and dangerous conditions for the public and first responders.

PG&E lays out specific safety guidance to prevent those incidents, urging customers to "Look Up and Live" by avoiding balloon use near overhead electric lines and keeping helium-filled metallic balloons secured to heavy weights that cannot float away. The company tells people to puncture or cut knots on balloons when finished so they cannot escape, never attempt to retrieve a balloon or any object tangled in power lines or inside a substation, and to report incidents rather than approach fallen or dangling lines.

Ron Richardson, PG&E vice president of Electric Distribution Operations, emphasizes that small, inexpensive precautions protect communities and critical infrastructure. He urges residents to follow California law requiring metallic balloons be secured with a weight and to contact the utility if they see a balloon caught on a line, stressing that these steps significantly reduce outages and risks to first responders.

Scope of the problem and community impact

PG&E reports that in 2025 nearly 350 balloon-related outages within its Northern and Central California service area cut power to about 165,000 customers, interrupting service to homes, businesses and critical facilities such as traffic signals, schools and hospitals. The utility highlights that outages from conductive objects also risk damage to equipment and can complicate emergency response.

Reporting and prevention resources

The company provides a customer reporting hotline, 1-800-743-5000, and reiterates that prevention — tying balloons to durable weights, disposing of them so they cannot escape, and never attempting retrieval from power infrastructure — is the simplest way to protect communities during holiday celebrations.