Lightning strike splits tree, reports of wires down

Several agencies in St. Clair County were out Monday evening responding to calls of downed trees, live wires and poles due to severe weather.

More than 2,800 Ameren Illinois customers in the county were without power by 10:20 p.m. Monday.

Due to the sporadic outages, Ameren Illinois said it has opened a storm center in Belleville and is set to bring in crews from other areas to help with restorative efforts.

Fairview Fire Department received at least one call of lightning striking a tree at 1 Clark Dr. No one was hurt. The tree was split down the middle due to the strike.

Deputy Chief Bruce Green of Fairview Fire Department and an officer from the Fairview Heights Police Department were on scene. Green said a big tree was hit by lightning and took a power line down. The tree was located behind a residence. The call came in from a nearby neighbor.

Live wire was down across the road, Green said. Ameren arrived around 8 p.m. to disconnect the power.

“No damage — well, damage to the tree — but as far as real property, no (damage),” Green said.

This story was originally published June 13, 2016 at 9:08 PM with the headline "Lightning strike splits tree, reports of wires down."