LAS VEGAS (AP) — Strong winds are being blamed for the power outages that affected thousands of people in southern Nevada over the weekend.
NV Energy reported more than 12,500 customers were without power Sunday evening. The outages were mostly concentrated in the east part of the valley.
Authorities were forced to shut down vehicle and pedestrian traffic in an area near the Las Vegas Strip after gusts took down three power poles.
The Clark County Fire Department says the winds also complicated the efforts to extinguish a building fire near the Strip. The structure was declared a total loss.
The National Weather Service in Las Vegas says Nellis Air Force Base registered peak wind speeds of 59 mph Sunday evening, while McCarran International Airport recorded gusts of 51 mph.