Power outage affects hundreds in Cape

More than 800 Ameren Missouri customers in southwest Cape Girardeau were without power Monday afternoon after a line burned on Interstate 55 near U.S. 61, a company spokesman confirmed.

Kent Martin of Ameren Missouri said the outage, which started between 2:30 and 3 p.m. Monday, affected 833 customers.

Martin said a power line burned, causing the outage.

"We're investigating the cause as to why," he said, adding the problem did not appear to be heat related.

Martin said older lines sometimes can burn.

"We try to maintain the lines as much as possible, but sometimes, due to the age, that will happen," he said.

Power to about 300 customers was restored within the first hour, Martin said. The rest of the affected customers had their power back on within two hours.

Cape Girardeau Fire Department assistant chief Mark Hasheider said outages were reported in the Bloomfield Road and Siemers Drive areas.

The outage created some hassles for local businesses in those areas.

Police scanner traffic indicated the outage prompted a visit from the fire department at a local assisted living home.

Scott Sprandel, manager of Saxony Village, 2825 Bloomfield Road, said brownout conditions produced smoke in an air-conditioning unit, but there was no fire.

By 4:15 p.m., the power was still out, Sprandel said.

Plaza Tire Service, 433 Siemers Drive, also lost power, a manager said.

Assistant manager Dan Hensley said the power was out for about 45 minutes, causing delays.

"It slowed us down about a half an hour," he said.

Down the street at Menards, 535 Siemers Drive, an effective backup plan minimized the impact of the outage.

Kevin Goodreau, second assistant manager at Menards, said his store continued "business as usual" during the outage, thanks to backup generators that kept things running smoothly until power was restored about 4:30 p.m.

epriddy@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

Bloomfield Road, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Siemers Drive, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

2825 Bloomfield Road, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

433 Siemers Drive, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

535 Siemers Drive, Cape Girardeau, Mo.