A downed power line sparked two small brush fires and cut power to several homes in West Linn early this morning.

¡°Our preliminary report is that a barge working in the river with a crane came in contact with the line, causing both a brush fire and a power outage for about 2,500 of our customers,¡±

said Steve Carson, an official with Portland General Electric.

Electricity has been restored to the majority of those homes, but the West Linn Paper Company had not had its power restored Wednesday afternoon.

According to Cassandra Ulven of Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, the line started minor blazes on both the West Linn and Oregon City sides of the Willamette River.

The Oregon City fire self-extinguished. But the West Linn fire in a wooden area near Mill Street provided a variety of problems.

¡°Safety was a big concern,¡± Ulven said, ¡°not only because of power lines but steep terrain and heat.¡±

By noon, the fire was contained but not yet extinguished. Willamette Falls Drive was closed to the public, and that portion of the river was closed to recreational boating.

No homes or structures were ever threatened by the fires.