Wind gusts reached 55 mph locally Wednesday, stirring up dust and causing power outages throughout western Nevada, including Mark Twain Estates, Stagecoach and Fallon.
Sierra Pacific Power Co. spokeswoman Fay Anderson said a flaming power pole in Hazen on Alternate 50, between Fernley and Fallon, knocked out power to people in Mark Twain Estates and Stagecoach.
The wind probably loosened power lines, setting the pole on fire. The intermittent outages affected 2,000 customers, she said.
In Fallon, wind broke off a pole at the Leetville Junction and burned another just east of Farm District Road, causing intermittent outages from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for 14,000 customers on the west side of town, Anderson said.
"All the lines affected were transmission lines, used to transport bulk power," she said. "The smaller distribution lines, like the ones around people's homes, were fine."
The winds were expected to subside overnight, decreasing to about 10 mph today.
Temperatures will range from 65 to 75 degrees today and could reach the low 80s Friday, according to a report from the National Weather Service.
Contact Susie Vasquez at svasquez@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.
