Downed power pole causes power outage in Swansea; most power now restored

A downed power pole and transformer in Swansea caused more than 1,200 households to lose power Saturday evening, but most have already been restored.

The St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency reported on Facebook that Swansea firefighters had been called out to the intersection of Kinsella Avenue and Marilyn Drive to deal with a downed power pole and transformer. Ameren spokesman Brian Bretsch said the outage was due to a tree that fell onto the power lines and snapped the power pole.

Swansea first responders could not immediately say whether roads were closed, but St. Clair County EMA warned travelers to use extreme caution in the area. By evening, however, Bretsch confirmed that all power lines had been restored or deactivated and the area was safe.

At its peak, 1,280 households were without power in Swansea, but all but 23 households had been restored within a short period of time, Bretsch said. “We did some switching within the hour,” he said.

The last 23 households will remain out until repairs are made to the pole. Bretsch said they were hopeful to have all households back up by midnight.

While that area is now safe for travel, Bretsch said anyone who sees power lines down should exercise caution.

“Whenever you see downed wires, assume they’re energized,” he said. “Stay away from them, and call us as soon as you can.”

The number to reported downed wires to Ameren is 800-755-5000.

This story was originally published April 22, 2017 at 8:03 PM with the headline "Downed power pole causes power outage in Swansea; most power now restored."