As Iowans prepare to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday today (Sunday), MidAmerican Energy is reminding people to do so safely by avoiding overhead powerlines. The utility company is asking customers to refrain from releasing metallic or Mylar balloons as they can drift into lines or sub-stations, resulting in damage to circuits and equipment and cause outages. According to MidAmerican, metallic balloons caused several dozen outages in their service region, including an incident in February that cut power to 1,400 customers in Des Moines. Additionally, Iowans planning to ignite fireworks should maintain a safe distance away from overhead lines and utility poles to avoid damaging the lines in a manner that could ignite a fire or create hazardous conditions. “We want people to have fun this July Fourth, but away if the fun includes metallic balloons or fireworks. Safety is our top priority, even on the holidays,” says MidAmerican Energy Vice President of Electric Delivery, John Guy.