BLOOMINGTON - Thousands of Ameren electrical customers in southern McLean and northern Logan counties were without power in bitter cold for half the day Thursday as crews worked to repair a downed transmission line.

Ameren spokesman Leigh Morris said the downed line between McLean and Atlanta carries electricity at 69,000 volts to substations for distribution. The line, along old Route 66, supplies power to several thousand people in southwestern McLean and northern Logan counties.

"One of the wires just broke," Morris said. "Cold weather was probably a contributing factor, but we may never know for sure. Our first priority is getting the power restored."

The power failed around 5 a.m. on a day when the low temperature bottomed out at 7 degrees below zero at 8 a.m. The high temperature for Bloomington-Normal was 7 degrees, recorded mid-afternoon.

Utility crews completed work on the failed power line by afternoon, restoring power to Heyworth shortly after noon and to Atlanta, McLean and surrounding areas about 40 minutes later.

"These things are complicated. You can't just throw a switch and put everything back on," Morris said.

Three trucks and 10 men worked to fix the problem.

Schools in the Heyworth and Stanford-based Olympia school districts closed because of the outages and bitter cold.

Heyworth opened its Village Hall as a warming center and had a school bus on standby to pick up anyone who needed a ride to the center. Despite warmth and hot coffee, few people came to the center, which was powered by a generator.

"I'm surprised we've not had more," said Heyworth Mayor Steve Crum at the time. "I hope it's because people are trying to ride it out."

Heyworth police visited seniors to check on their well-being and reported no problems. Most businesses were closed except a few, such as First State Bank, which was able to operate on generator power, according to bank employee Dee Slayback.

About 3,500 people in Randolph, Heyworth, McLean, Atlanta and Waynesville were left without power since before dawn on a day where temperatures stayed in single digits.

Near Beason in Logan County, the cold weather led to a long, hard-fought battle with a farmhouse fire that left two firefighters in need of medical help.

Elsewhere, the cold meant bundling up before going outside and watching for icy patches on the roads.

A few accidents on slick roads were reported after an inch of snow fell overnight.

Many rural schools stayed open.

Tri Valley Superintendent Brad Cox said the buses all started well despite of the cold.

The temperature was 6 degrees below zero when the doors opened at the Downs-based schools. He said the temperature was a little more tolerable because winds were low.

"There was no issue with buses started or running," he said.

In Fairbury-based Prairie Central schools, a couple of buses were slowed down by gelled diesel fuel.

"Our drivers are really good at helping each other out," said Superintendent John Capasso, explaining some routes were altered slightly because of the cold.

In Pontiac, where some residents are still recovering from flooding earlier this month, the Pontiac Community Recreation Center was opened for those who needed shelter.

Heyworth resident Betty Shannon, who stopped at Village Hall for a hot cup of coffee, expressed a sentiment many Central Illinois residents shared Thursday.

"It would be nice if we could all afford to go to Florida for the winter," she said.

Compiled by Michael Freimann, Julie Gerke, Troy Semple, Phyllis Coulter and Tony Sapochetti.