Ameren utilities spokeswoman Victoria Busch says about 770 customers in the Alton area lost power around 6:30 am when the cold weather brought down a transmission line.

Busch says most of the power was restored by 10:30 am. She says the utility had to bring people back online slowly to make sure gas companies in the area had enough pressure in the system to handle a large number of furnaces turning on at once.

Investigators are inspecting the line, Busch said, but suspect a lightning strike may have caused the line to fray. The brutal cold would have made the ends brittle and more likely to snap. © Copyright 2009, St. Louis Public Radio