A blaze that destroyed a west Little Rock restaurant earlier this month was sparked at least in part by an electrical malfunction, a Fire Department spokesman said.
Shortly after noon May 1, crews were called to a fire at the decades-old Ozark Country Restaurant, 202 Keightley Drive. Within about an hour, the bulk of the blaze had been extinguished.
Capt. Jason Weaver said Tuesday that arcing near an air conditioning unit at the restaurant was deemed the origin of the fire. The blaze has been ruled not suspicious.
"We haven't fully determined and ruled out all other contributing factors," Weaver said.
The spokesman noted that arcing is caused when electricity "gets in an area that it's not supposed to," causing an electrical discharge to ignite surrounding objects.
Witnesses initially reported seeing flames coming through the eatery's roof. Nearby trees were also said to be on fire.
No injuries were reported, Weaver said.
Metro on 05/31/2018