A router detects a network failure and responsive to that failure, floods a fast failure notification message out a set of interfaces of the router. The fast failure notification message includes information that identifies the network failure and includes as its source MAC (Media Access Control) address a MAC address that is assigned to an interface that is coupled with the detected network failure and is not part of the set of interfaces of the router. The router updates a routing table to reflect the network failure. The flooding of the fast failure notification message is performed prior to completion of the routing table update to reflect the network failure.