Residents and visitors were at a standstill Wednesday as they waited for direction on how to safely escape an electric issue that happened in Evergreen Park.
Late yesterday afternoon a few mylar balloons sparked a power outage near 99th Street and Kedzie Avenue, that affected more than 1,000 schools, businesses and residents.
“Every year we try to remind the public that this happens,” said Bennie Currie, a spokesman with ComEd. “The surge and short circuit of the power line caused by the mylar balloons can cause a line to snap.”
Officials from ComEd said in a release Thursday that a total of 1,327 customers were without electricity for four hours Wednesday near the intersection.
“When mylar balloons touch a power line or float into substation equipment, their metallic properties cause a surge of electricity. This can cause equipment to short circuit and lead to power outages, fires and possible injuries,” said ComEd officials.
“It was very windy in some areas with the storm, and they (balloons) get away from you,” Currie said. “Those things are metallic. Metal and an electrical wire are not a good combination.”
According to Evergreen Park Police Department Capt. Gregory LeCompte, the department was without electricity, and so was his home in the village. But after getting advice from a ComEd official years ago, LeCompte bought a generator that he was able to use Wednesday to restore energy in his home.
As many students in the village were preparing to leave school late Wednesday afternoon, some had to stay in their buildings and await direction from administration until it was safe to go home.
Police said students, faculty and staff at Central Junior High School and Evergreen Park Community High School were forced to stay a little longer than the conventional school day.
“The kids were locked down until they could cut all of the cables, because there were wires down here and there. Then they turned the power off and the kids were able to go home,” said LeCompte. As a result, no individual was allowed to enter or exit campus grounds for about a half hour after school ended, he said.
LeCompte continued, “The power lines were down and they weren’t sure if the power was off, so they didn’t want anyone walking over any live power cables.
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