Freezing rain and sleet led to dozens of car crashes Thursday as road conditions worsened.

Arkansas State Police worked several crashes, according to Lt. John Overman.

A seven-car collision was reported in the northbound lanes of Interstate 540, near the Porter Road exit in Fayetteville, about 2 p.m. At least three people were taken by ambulance to Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville.

Gov. Mike Beebe declared a state emergency Thursday because of the wintry weather in the state. Beebe also released $100,000 from his disaster fund to help with initial response to the storm.

Kelly Cantrell, spokeswoman for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, said deputies were called to one minor car accident on the Illinois River Bridge in Prairie Grove. She said there were no street closings in Washington County as of Thursday evening.

Fayetteville Police Sgt. Craig Stout said officers worked about four crashes in Fayetteville on Thursday afternoon. No major injuries were reported.

“The cancellation of school ahead of time has pretty much saved us,” he said.

Bentonville, Springdale, Rogers and Fayetteville school districts announced Thursday morning they would be closed. The four school districts will also be closed today.

According to the National Weather Service in Tulsa, Okla., a mixture of sleet and snow is expected to continue today, with snow accumulation between 3 and 5 inches across Northwest Arkansas.

“Obviously, the roads will be slick,” Stout said. “We highly encourage that people don’t drive unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

In Rogers, cars started fishtailing Thursday afternoon and by 2 p.m., police reported six accidents, spokesman Keith Foster said. Arkansas State Police were called to at least one accident in Rogers on I-540, including one where a driver hit a slick spot and slid off the Bellview Road overpass, Foster said. Bridges and overpasses are the most hazardous, he said.

By 3:25 p.m., Bentonville police had worked two accidents, Capt. John Hubbard said. No roads were closed, but police warned people to be cautious of bridges, overpasses and anything with culverts across the roads. Bentonville City Hall closed at 2:30 p.m., Hubbard said.

“Obviously, stay in if possible,” Hubbard said. “It’s bound to get worse.”

Benton County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called to a rollover accident without injury on Bull Hill Road on Thursday evening, said deputy Keshia Guyll. The Sheriff’s Office had no plans to close roads.

The downtown sidewalks on West Walnut Street in Rogers were so slick Thursday that children, who were out of school, went snow skating. Garrett Gonzales, 13, and his brother, Hunter, 15, threw their wheel-less skateboards down on the sleet, then ran and jumped on the boards, riding them down the street in front of Knucklehead Skateshop.

Both said they had fallen. “Run and jump,” Garrett said.

“Run and jump and hope for the best,” said Alex Vestal, shop owner. Vestal’s shop was among those choosing to remain open even as sleet came down. He said he planned to be open today as well.

“I’ve had a lot of fun today,” Vestal said.

Mauro Campos, Fayetteville fire battalion chief, said firefighters were called to a carbon monoxide poisoning report at 1525 N. Oakland Ave. about 4 p.m. “They had a fireplace that wasn’t properly ventilated and all the smoke was coming into the house,” he said. “Everyone was fine.” Campos said firefighters didn’t work to any other major incidents Thursday other than “a couple wrecks.”

Springdale Lt. Derek Hudson said police officers were called to six accidents as of 3 p.m. and two people were injured. Officers were called to a vehicle-pedestrian accident near Emma Avenue and Graham Street about 12:30 p.m. A woman was taken to the Northwest Medical Center-Springdale, where she was treated for minor injuries.

Hudson sent out a road alert e-mail about 6:30 p.m. The alert said the portion of Thompson Street between Wagon Wheel Road and Backus Avenue was impassable and several vehicles were stranded on the highway.

Jeff Coles, Rogers’ assistant transportation manager, said street crews worked all day Thursday to loosen ice from the roads. “We’ll do everything in our power not to close the roads,” he said. “We’re applying brine to loosen ice and we’ll plow if necessary.

Penny Storms, spokeswoman for Ozarks Electric Power Cooperative, said no power outages in Northwest Arkansas were reported Thursday.

“As far as our inventory of poles and transformers, we’re in good shape,” she said. “Right now, it looks like we’re going to have less weather than in the south. Rather than calling in crews, we may be sending crews down there to help out. The way ice freezes on lines, it can devastate a system much more quickly than snow.”

Storms said cold temperatures will hamper restoration efforts should outages occur.

Peter Main, spokesman for AEP-Southwestern Electric Power Company, said electrical crews remained in a holding pattern Thursday. He said the company is prepared for heavy accumulation of ice and snow, with three-fourths of an inch of ice expected from Nashville to De Queen and up through Mena and Greenwood.

“We expect freezing rain, sleet and snow to continue in Northwest Arkansas,” he said. “We’re watching that area very closely.”

Main said initial power outages were reported in Greenwood on Thursday evening and more outages were expected across Arkansas overnight.