A tree was cut down and fell onto some power lines in the 600 block of Edgewood Lane in Festus this afternoon, Nov. 8, causing a transformer to explode and a small fire to start in a grassy area. No one was injured, but the incident also left several Ameren customers in the area without power, Festus Fire Chief Jeff Broombaugh.
He said the Festus Fire Department got a call at 1:17 p.m. about the fire, and firefighters quickly extinguished it after arriving. The scene was cleared at 2:30 p.m.
Broombaugh said firefighters called Ameren, which secured the scene and began to repair the damage.
According to Ameren’s website, the power outage began at 1:14 p.m.
As of late this afternoon, the website lists six customers without power and says power was expected to be restored at about 4:15 p.m.
Ameren did not immediately return a call for comment.