Thousands of NV Energy customers affected by outages caused by wind
High winds Sunday caused power outages for thousands of NV Energy customers and fanned the flames of a building fire near the Strip, complicating firefighters’ efforts to extinguish the blaze.
Clark County firefighters battled a blaze across from the Rio late Sunday into Monday morning. The wind played an “important” role in spreading the fire, according to Battalion Chief Scott Straily. The building was declared a total loss.
NV Energy reported that most of the outages would be resolved between 6 and 8 p.m. Sunday, and it listed equipment failure as their cause. The number of customers affected by outages fluctuated, with about 25,000 reported customers without power at 5 p.m. Sunday.
The Clark County Fire Department reported just after 5 p.m. Sunday that three power poles had been knocked down by high winds on Koval Lane between Spring Mountain and Flamingo roads. The Metropolitan Police Department shut down vehicle and pedestrian traffic in the area, and NV Energy said the road would be closed overnight for repairs.
Traffic on Flamingo was gridlocked in both directions near Koval, the fire department reported about 6 p.m.
“We have every crew member available out working on outages,” said Mark Severts, a spokesman for NV Energy. Severts said the winds were affecting outages at both high and low voltage points on the power grid and in older areas of town where power lines run above ground.
The National Weather Service reported that the outages were likely caused by high winds, which also brought down trees and street signs. A high-wind advisory was in effect through 10 p.m. Sunday.
A small plane made a hard landing just after 6 p.m. at the Henderson Executive Airport, according to airport spokesman Chris Jones.
The plane, a single-engine Lancair, crashed under unknown circumstances while landing on Runway 17, said Ian Gregor, public affairs manager for the Federal Aviation Administration’s Pacific Division.
He said two people on board were taken to a hospital, but he did not know their conditions Sunday night.
Jones said it was unclear whether the high winds were a factor in the hard landing, but that it was a possibility.
As of 5:30 p.m. Sunday, the weather service recorded peak wind speeds of 51 mph at McCarran International Airport and 59 mph at Nellis Air Force Base. The weather service said peak wind speeds throughout the valley were in the 40-50 mph range.
An incoming cold front from the north was expected to reach the valley by Sunday evening and bring an end to the high winds, the weather service said.
The high temperature on Monday will reach only 59 degrees but should climb to 65 degrees on Tuesday. By Wednesday, the high is expected to reach 75.
Contact Max Michor at mmichor@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @MaxMichor on Twitter.
