Jul. 2--Officials are unsure what caused a power outage Thursday morning in East Alton and Wood River.

Leigh Morris, spokesman for Ameren, said that at approximately 8:13 a.m. there was a loss of power in the two towns and more than 3,000 residents and businesses lost power. Most of the power was re-established by 9 a.m.

"They don't know what happened just yet," Morris said.

The majority of homes that lost power were on East Alton's east side and Wood River's northwest.

Several residents complained that their lights were dim and other appliances were not working properly. Capt. Dana Emerick with Wood River Fire Department said that they received several fire alarm calls during the outage, including one for someone stuck in an elevator.

"There was an employee on the elevator at Foxes Grove," Emerick said. "All we had to do was open the doors. She was OK though."

Morris said although everyone may not have had a loss of power at their home, they probably experienced some type of low voltage. He said that the public can even check Ameren's mobile Web site www.ameren.mobi to find out more information during a power loss.

"Anyone with a smart phone or handheld device can check on the status of outages and even report an outage," Morris said.

Visit www.ameren.com to find out more.

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