OAKLAND, Calif. - A metallic balloon was to blame for a power outage in the East Bay Monday afternoon, not the rainstorm , officials with Pacific Gas and Electric say.

Balloon partially to blame

PG&E said this outage was one of the largest, affecting 5,570 customers.

While there were storm-related outages, PG&E said they see metallic balloon outages frequently. Last year alone, metallic balloons hitting power lines caused 169 outages for nearly 160,000 customers.

The balloon outage started at 3:53 p.m. PG&E customers primarily in Oakland were affected. All the customers impacted had their power restored from this outage at around 5 p.m.

A PG&E spokesperson told KTVU many people don't realize that these balloons can conduct electricity and cause outages if they come into contact

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