AmerenUE sub-station fire causes power outage

More than 50,000 residents woke up without power early this morning (Tues., Dec. 2).

A fire that broke out before 5:00 a.m. at the AMEREN UE sub-station in Shrewsbury and impacted parts of Crestwood, Clayton, Webster Groves, Shrewsbury and Affton caused the outage.

An Ameren spokesperson says the fire was caused by oil igniting. The fire then spread to a transformer, causing it to explode.

Several people in the area reported seeing a flash of light across the sky, just before the darkness hit the area.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire after about 15 minutes.

The transformer explosion has left more than 90 percent of Shrewsbury without power. AmerenUE said that as of 7:00 a.m. power had been restored to nearly 25,000 people.

There is no word on when power will be restored to the other customers.

To view the outage area, visit AmerenUE's web site and click on the outage map, http://www.ameren.com/Outage

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Source: StlAmerica