NV Energy has restored power to all customers affected by the Spring Valley Fire in Douglas County.

"Our crews will remain in the area of the fire today doing additional clean up work, but we do not anticipate any power outages related to that clean up work," says NV Energy.

The 264-acre fire was fully contained on Wednesday night after starting around 4 p.m. the dey prior near Double Springs, north of Dead Horse Flat.

As of noon on July 17th, Highway 395 has fully reopened without restrictions and all evacuations have been lifted. 

Douglas County says a 'software glitch' affected the county's reverse phone emergency system and posed a challenge alerting residents. 

"Wireless alerts were regrettably unable to be transmitted to our residents during a critical evacuation noticing of the Spring Valley Fire. This unforeseen technology issue posed a significant challenge.

"However, in the face of this technological issue, our dedicated Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) Deputies and the Douglas County Search and Rescue demonstrated their unwavering commitment to public safety, conducting door-to-door notifications to alert residents promptly. Their swift action ensured that residents were informed and able to evacuate safely, minimizing potential risks.

"We are actively investigating the cause of the software glitch to prevent future occurrences and are exploring robust backup communication methods to enhance our emergency response capabilities. Our priority remains the safety and well-being of our community, and we are grateful for the resilience and dedication of our DCSO Deputies in these critical situations."

UPDATE: 

Evacuations for Topaz Ranch Estates have been lifted and affected residents can return to their homes according to a release from Douglas County.

The Topaz Ranch Estates Community Center evacuation center is now closed. 

People who are still in their homes within the Double Springs evacuation zone are asked to stay in their homes while fire crews work to extinguish hot spots.

Several hundred people remain without power as lines were de-energized in order to keep those responding to the fire safe and prevent additional fires.

570 customers were affected when lines were de-energized around 4:20 p.m. according to a release from NV Energy.

NV Energy has provided outage preparation tips on its website. You can also monitor current outages using their outage center.

More information about how emergency de-energization helps keep people safe can be found here.

Fire officials say the blaze is human caused.

July 16th at 6:42 p.m. Update

The Spring Valley Fire has started burning southeast of Gardnerville. 

Smoke can be seen on the Bald Mountain Alert Wildfire Camera.

It is currently about 100 acres and 0% contained.

Evacuations are in place near Double Springs. There is also a precautionary evacuation warning in the area of Topaz Ranch Estates and Holbrook Junction. An updated map of evacuations can be found at this link.

An evacuation center has been opened at the Topaz Ranch Estates Community Center at 3939 Carter Drive in Wellington.

According to the Nevada Department of Transportation, all lanes are closed in both directions on US-395 from State Route 208 Leviathan Mine Road.

Power has been shut down in the area for about 570 residents due to the fire. Power lines were de-energized in order to prevent secondary ignitions. According to NV Energy, they were de-energized around 4:20 p.m. and they are monitoring the fire to determine when it will be safe to turn them back on.

Crews from Nevada and California are helping to fight the fire, including the East Fork Fire Protection District, as well as federal and state resources.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Please avoid the area.

We are working to get more information, and we will update you as we learn more.