A foil balloon that hit an overhead power line knocked out electricity for 11,450 homes in North Perth and surrounding suburbs on Saturday.
The power went out around 11 a.m. and it took the Western Power crew three hours to fully restore power to all affected customers.
Traffic lights in the area were also affected and motorists were advised to slow down and give way to the right.
It’s not the first time foil balloons, which can conduct electricity, have short-circuited the system and interrupted the power supply.
In this case, the incident affected the transformer in North Perth.
The Western Australian understands that stray foil balloons have brought trains to a halt by causing electrical disturbances.
“Crews worked as quickly and safely as possible to repair and restore the power supply,” said a Western Power spokesperson.
“We gradually restored power to customers by regenerating power, and all customers had their power back by 2pm.
“We communicated directly with the affected customers via SMS.
“We are urging people to stay eight meters away from fallen power lines or other damage to the grid and to report it to us on 13 13 51 so that emergency personnel can attend the hazard to make the area safe.”
If you see a fallen power line, please call Western Power on the emergency number 24/7 13 13 51. Stay informed by visiting our fault page at www.westernpower.com.au/faults-outages
