Some Ameren customers in the Salem area experienced power outages today, after a fire burned through a power line in the area.

Ameren officials believe the fire may have been sparked by a weakness in the wire, which can be caused by anything from lightning to the wear and tear of time. The outage was first reported at around 2 o'clock this afternoon and at its height, some 700 customers were out of power.

Since then, power has been restored to the affected households.