More than 1,100 North Arkansas Electric Cooperative members are without power following a fire at the Southland Substation on Highway 62/412 in Mountain Home. The outage began at 3 a.m. Friday.
“Crews are assessing the damage,” CEO Mel Coleman said in the early morning hours Friday. “At one point, it looked as if the entire substation was on fire with flames reaching 20 to 30 feet.”
NAEC does not know the cause of the fire, but lightning was reported in the area.
Law enforcement at one point shut down Highway 62/412 in the event the transmission lines were affected, but the highway has since reopened.
“This could be an extended outage for our affected members,” Coleman said. “We will have a better estimated restoration time once the assessment of the damage is complete.”
NAEC has requested a mobile substation unit from Arkansas Electric Cooperative Cooperation.
Updates on the restoration will be posted at www.naeci.com and at www.facebook.com/NorthARElectric.
North Arkansas Electric Cooperative serves more than 36,650 active accounts throughout seven counties. The cooperative’s headquarters is located in Salem, and full-service offices are located in Ash Flat and Mountain Home. For more information, visit www.naeci.com or call 870-895-3221.
