In 2024, the Military Environmental Police seized 35 balloons in the State; on July 22, a giant balloon left several neighborhoods without power
The Government of São Paulo registered 44 environmental infractions for ballooning in the State between January and June 2024. The fines applied for “manufacturing, selling, transporting or releasing balloons” in the period exceed R$ 1 million. The data is from the Secretariat of Environment, Infrastructure and Logistics (Semil).
On Monday (22.Jul.2024), a balloon crashed in the Aricanduva neighborhood, in the east of São Paulo, causing power outages in nearby homes after the device hit the wiring. A motorcycle got stuck in the wires, but there were no injuries reported.
On Friday (26.Jul.2024), 12 clandestine balloon factories were closed by the Environmental PM teams during Operation Forest Guardian. Throughout the year, the Environmental Military Police seized 35 balloons in the state.
The number of fires caused by balloon crashes tripled in the State of São Paulo in 2024. Between January and July, the Fire Department responded to 15 incidents of this type, while in the same period last year there were 5 cases.
As a result, in the first 6 months of this year alone, the number of fires caused by balloons practically equaled that of the entire year of 2023, when 16 occurrences were recorded by the corporation.
risks to the population
Balloons are made from flammable material and, therefore, when they fall they can cause large-scale fires in forests, houses and buildings.
Since 1998, the practice has been considered a crime, as provided for in Law No. 9,605, with a penalty of 1 to 3 years in prison, or a fine of at least R$10,000.
Delegate João Blasi, from the Division of Investigations into Environmental Offenses, says that the Civil Police have already carried out several operations against this type of practice, which increases in months like June and July, due to the celebrations of Saint John’s Day.
“Whoever lets go has no idea of the consequences it can generate”he says, remembering the risks it still poses to aviation. “Imagine the pilot taking off and, out of nowhere, coming across one of these devices. It becomes a tense moment.”
With information from the agency SP News.
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