Categories
Local News

Loose balloons — hazard to power lines

TRENTON, N.J. — Early Saturday afternoon, the Mill Hill District section of downtown Trenton experienced more than an hour of power outage that inconvenienced residents and businesses in the area.

PSE&G electricians arrive at Market Street between South Broad and Jackson streets Saturday to remove balloons from the power lines after they caused a power outage in the Mill Hill District area of downtown Trenton.
– Photo by Michelle Dryden

Shortly after Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G) electricians arrived on the scene, they discovered that the cause of the outage were the party balloons made of aluminum-like materials that were hanging on the wires along Market Street between South Broad and Jackson streets.

A PSE&G workman explained that the materials the balloons are made of, ignited with the electricity in the power wires and caused the loud explosion that the folks in the neighborhood heard at the moment of the power outage.

One resident commented that she now realizes how much she is attached to her television and computer because she really wanted the power back on so she can get back to them.

The electricians quickly restored electric service to the neighborhood after removing the balloons from the power lines and then turning back on the power fuse.