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St. Louis, Missouri (KMOV) — High winds are starting to cause power outages throughout the area.
In St. Clair County, Swansea fire officials were called to the 1500 block of Caseyville Avenue after receiving a report of a broken pole with wires down and a person in a vehicle around 10:45 a.m. Thursday. County officials said the roadway was closed in both directions and drivers should avoid the area.
When News 4’s Russell Kinsaul arrived to the area shortly after 11:30 a.m., the vehicle that the person was reportedly trapped inside was gone and the power pole was on the ground.
Around the same time, the Belleville Area Humane Society said they would be closed Thursday because of downed power lines and a power outage. They hope to reopen Friday if the power is restored.
Vianney High School experienced a power surge and lost power for a brief period of time. The power was restored prior to 11:30 a.m.
According to the Ameren Outage Map, around 2,800 customers in Missouri and 1,500 customers in Illinois were without power just before 11 a.m.
Before the winds kicked up, Ameren told News 4 they had crews geared up and ready to go. They also said if anyone sees a downed power line to stay clear and call Ameren.
Wind gusts between 40 and 60 mph are possible throughout the area Thursday. The area is under a High Wind Warning through 7 p.m.
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