Nevada government agencies experiencing internet outages

The State of Nevada is experiencing significant internet outages Friday morning, impacting most state websites and online services for residents. The Department of Administration has identified a physical failure with a fiber connection and a repair is currently in progress. There is not yet an estimated time of repair.

The outage was reportedly caused when homeless people started a fire underneath a railroad overpass in Reno that burned through the cable Thursday evening, the Appeal's Geoff Dornan reported.

Online state services are currently unavailable. The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles offices are closed statewide due to this issue and the agency has begun to notify those with appointments. Within all state office buildings in Northern Nevada, internet and email are not available. Desk phones in some agencies are operational. Internet and email in Southern Nevada and Elko are still working.

The outages began at approximately 5:30 p.m. Thursday. However, due to safety concerns, because of proximity to an active rail line, restoration work was initially delayed.

The state is working with providers to restore services as soon as possible and will keep residents informed with updates. The Nevada Department of Administration will also be providing updates on social media.