542 Columbians without power Monday evening

An electrical pole caught on fire at about 8:45 p.m. Monday, leaving 542 customers without power for one and a half hours, said Chad Shettlesworth of Columbia Water and Light.

Utility workers repaired a pole at the corner of Fourth Avenue and North Providence Road and restored power to most customers by about 10 p.m., but they were still working to restore power to Fourth Avenue as of 10:30 p.m.

Utility workers estimated the power would be completely restored by 1 a.m.

Affected areas included Providence Road, Fourth Avenue, Wilkes Boulevard, Grand Avenue and Business Loop 70 East. The affected area was next to Hickman High School, Shettlesworth said.

Two squad cars diverted northbound traffic from Providence Road to Wilkes Boulevard using road flares.