CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. (AP) – It wasn’t a lightning strike, a downed tree limb, or a car plowing into a utility pole that knocked out power to 1,700 customers in Central Falls.

It was a balloon.

A National grid spokesman says a metallic “Mylar” balloon that got stuck in a power line near Dexter Street on Wednesday night, caught fire and eventually brought down the wire just after 8 p.m.

About 1,700 customers were without power for more than an hour.

National grid spokesman David Graves says the foil-like balloons cause a lot of problems, including short-circuits and outages.



Information from: The Providence Journal, http://www.projo.com/

AP-ES-07-10-08 0626EDT


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