MIDCOAST - Gusty winds and and a fallen tree were to blame for power outages in four towns in Knox County this morning, according to Central Maine Power Spokeswoman Gail Rice.

Rice said 5,600 CMP customers in the region lost power shortly before 7 a.m. when a tree came down on transmission lines between Camden and Rockport. The incident resulted in power outages in Camden, Rockport, Hope and Lincolnville.

Work crews repaired the damaged lines and power was restored at 9:47, Rice said.

According to information on CMP's website, updated at 10:40 a.m., all but two customers in Knox County have power again. Several counties were still experiencing unrelated power outages, particularly in southern Maine, where Cumberland, Oxford and York counties each had between 900 and 1,600 customers without power.

Rice attributed the interruptions in service to wind conditions.

"We've had pretty gusty winds out there today and sometimes that can cause things to blow down and power outages," she said, adding that CMP's crews are accustomed to having to make these kinds of repairs.

Contact Ethan Andrews by e-mail at news@penbaypilot.com.