Fire destroys Southland Substation

Update at 12:45 a.m. Saturday, June 8:

North Arkansas Electric Cooperative personnel connected the mobile substation unit and restored power to the 1,153 members served by the Southland Substation at around 12:45 a.m. Saturday.

The outage began in the early morning hours Friday after a fire at the substation. The suspected cause is lightning.

NAEC will rebuild the substation over a period of months while the mobile unit temporarily serves that area. The substation is located on Pebblecreek Drive off of the Sheid-Hopper Bypass.

The mobile unit comes from Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation and consists of two semi-trailers that were connected once on site.

Update at 3 p.m. Friday, June 7:

The mobile substation unit has reached the site of North Arkansas Electric Cooperative’s Southland Substation, which was destroyed by fire early Friday morning.

Crews continue to work on a temporary structure that will allow the mobile unit to be connected. Materials are on site, and the two main structures have been set. The outage is expected to continue into the weekend.

NAEC will rebuild the substation over a period of months while the mobile unit temporarily serves the 1,153 members in that area. The substation is located on Pebblecreek Drive off of the Sheid-Hopper Bypass.

The mobile unit comes from Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation and consists of two semi-trailers that are connected once on site.

Update at 7:30 a.m. Friday, June 7:

The Southland Substation is a total loss.

A temporary structure will be built immediately to enable NAEC to connect the mobile substation unit. We expect the outage to continue through the weekend.

The substation will be rebuilt over a period of months.

Update at 5:30 a.m. Friday, June 7:

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.

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