A strong thunderstorm destroyed a pole barn, damaged other structures and downed trees and power lines Wednesday afternoon near Millstadt.

The damage was reported between the 2200 block of Imbs Station Road and Route 163.

“They got quite a bit of damage out in that area,” St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency Director Herb Simmons said.

In the 2700 block of Imbs Station Road, the storm destroyed a pole barn that was sitting in a resident’s backyard on a hill, blowing debris a couple hundred feet into a nearby cornfield.

Simmons said his agency also received reports of damaged or uprooted trees, roofs with shingles missing, a tree falling on a vehicle in a driveway and power lines being blown over on Imbs Station Road.

That resulted in the road being closed for some time and about 900 people losing power in the area. Residents in Dupo also reported some power outages.

By midnight, Simmons said power was restored for most residents.

The Columbia and Millstadt fire departments responded shortly after 3:30 p.m. Wednesday to a report of broken utility poles and wires down in the area of 2813 Triple Lakes Road.

Multiple reports of downed trees, limbs and damage to small sheds and outbuildings were also taken in the area of Triple Lakes Road near Bluffside Road and near Route 163, according to the St. Clair County EMA.

The St. Clair County EMA is working with the National Weather Service to determine the cause of the damage, though it has a leading theory.

“For all indications, it appears to be straight line winds,” Simmons said.