LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A Dodger Stadium power outage that prompted a roughly 20-minute delay in Monday night's game against the Milwaukee Brewers was caused by a Mylar balloon that came into contact with overhead electrical equipment, the Department of Water and Power announced today.
Power went out around 7:45 p.m. Monday with the Dodgers trailing the Brewers, 1-0, in the top of the second inning. The game resumed when the lights came back on, and the Dodgers lost 5-2.
DWP officials said the dual power supply system at the stadium worked as designed, meaning the actual flow of power was only cut off for a matter of seconds. But it took much longer for the stadium power systems to be reset.
"That a metallic balloon can cause a power outage like the one at Dodger Stadium may come as a surprise to some, but those in the utility industry know all too well the damage one Mylar balloon can cause,” DWP General Manager David H. Wright said in a statement.
"When metallic balloons come in contact with power lines or other electrical equipment, it can melt electrical wires resulting in fires that could lead to injuries, property damage or an outage like the one that occurred last night.
"We have built our systems to ensure reliable power flow to major venues, but even a brief disruption in power flow can cause on-site systems to be reset.”
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