Gas service restored to most in Pea Ridge

Murrell Craiglow, 7, of Fayetteville picks up speed Thursday as he heads downhill while sledding near North Street and College Avenue in Fayetteville. Go to nwaonline.com/210219Daily/ for today’s photo gallery.
(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe
Murrell Craiglow, 7, of Fayetteville picks up speed Thursday as he heads downhill while sledding near North Street and College Avenue in Fayetteville. Go to nwaonline.com/210219Daily/ for today’s photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe

Natural gas service was restored Thursday to nearly all 2,300 customers in Pea Ridge, according to a news release from Black Hills Energy.

Crews worked the past three days to restore natural gas service and had fewer than 20 customers to address Thursday, according to the release. The service was interrupted by low pressure in a line.

[LIST: School closings: nwaonline.com/closings]

Crews went door to door to turn on gas meters, do safety inspections and start pilot lights.

Lt. Michael Lisenbee, a spokesman for the Pea Ridge Police Department, said a shelter would remain open until every person's service is restored. Lisenbee said the shelter at Pea Ridge Middle School may remain open through the weekend if necessary.

[GALLERY: Click here for more photos » arkansasonline.com/219nwasnow/]

Elsewhere across Northwest Arkansas, city, county and school officials continued to deal with fallout from the winter weather.

Rocky Branch Fire Chief Jerry Oliver said firefighters were hampered by the snowy and icy conditions while fighting a fire that burned two boats at the Rocky Branch Marina.

Oliver said firefighters contained the fire to the two boats by cutting away nearby boats, he said. One boat sank and the other was heavily damaged, Oliver said.

The icy and snowy conditions were a challenge for firefighters, Oliver said.

"Everything was snow covered," he said. "The dock was icy and slippery, and some of the equipment iced up."

The drive to the fire also was difficult because roads were covered by 5 to 6 inches of snow, he said.

No one was injured and the cause of the fire is under investigation, Oliver said.

[Video not showing up above? Click here to watch » https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JFGPW9ypdQ]

The Washington Water Authority has requested all customers conserve water. The water system in south Washington County is struggling to keep up with demand, according to a news release from the authority.

Temperatures dipping to below zero several nights prompted residents to keep their faucets dripping to prevent freezing. Water use is up this week, in some areas as much as 150% over last week, according to the authority.

The Fort Smith-based Arkansas Oklahoma Gas Corp. said Thursday it restored natural gas service to small and medium commercial customers. The company cut service Tuesday because of supply issues. Industrial users will have service restored when the gas supply permits, according to the company.

The company provides natural gas to about 60,000 customers, and asked them to continue to conserve energy, according to its website.

Channing Barker, a spokeswoman for Benton County, said primary asphalt roads are mostly clear, and crews were working on secondary roads. They have 18 grader trucks working to remove the snow and ice, Barker said.

City road crews were out in full force throughout the area, including in Centerton where Mayor Bill Edwards shared an anecdote about residents helping each other.

Edwards said someone requested assistance on his Facebook page because an ice- and snow-covered driveway hampered a resident in a wheelchair from getting to his dialysis appointment. One resident went and cleared the driveway with Police Chief Cody Harper's help.

This week's weather also presented problems for local schools. Rogers High School was one of several buildings in the Rogers district that had a pipe burst, according to Charles Lee, assistant superintendent for general administration.

Rogers, like most area school districts, has been closed all week to in-person learning.

Lee said the extreme cold caused the diesel fuel in at least some of the district's buses to gel up, which would have presented transportation issues even without all the snow and ice.

Lee said he expects all issues to be resolved in time for school Monday.

The Springdale Public Library announced it closed because of water damage.

The book return area received the heaviest damage, so book drops are closed until further notice, according to an email.

"All items with due dates during this time will be renewed, and no late fees will be charged," according to the email.

Repairs are underway. The library anticipates resuming curbside pickup, curbside printing, and in-library appointments Monday morning.

More News

Warming Trend

The weather will start to improve heading into the weekend, according to the National Weather Service in Tulsa, Okla. Today will be sunny with a high of 33 today and a low near 18. Saturday will be sunny with a high near 43 and an overnight low of 33. Sunday shows a high near 46 with a low around 27. Monday also calls for sunny weather with a high near 52 and a low around 34.

Source: National Weather Service

Sue Boll (left) and Mark Boll of Bella Vista hike Thursday at Tanyard Creek in Bella Vista.
(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)
Sue Boll (left) and Mark Boll of Bella Vista hike Thursday at Tanyard Creek in Bella Vista. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)

Thomas Saccente and Dave Perozek contributed to this report. Tracy M. Neal can be reached by email at [email protected] or Twitter @NWATracy.

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