The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division says as of 8 p.m. on Wednesday, they were actively working 54 wildfires across the state.
Television stations across Arkansas reported damage throughout the state.
Arkansas State Police also closed highways in southeast Arkansas and the northeast part of the state.
ASP closed all lanes of 530 from exit 12 to exit 32. The agency also closed US 67 in Jackson County and Lawrence County.
KATV reported that the wildfires were so bad that some parts of the county were put on evacuation notice due to how fast the fires were spreading.
The television station also reported that fire crews were dispatched to multiple locations responding in Saline County, just south of Little Rock near Interstate 30.
According to KATV, the Little Rock Police Department (LRPD) reported multiple fires popping up in the West and Southwest areas of the city.
In a press conference, Fire Chief Delphon Hubbard reported that since the first call at 1:18 p.m., the Little Rock Fire Department responded to over 14 fire-related incidents affecting residential and commercial areas.
“There was no loss of life, whether it be civilians or our fire personnel,” Hubbard said.
In North Little Rock, crews battled a fire that damaged St. Joseph’s Orphanage, which is on the National Register of Historic Places and was designated as an Arkansas Department of Agriculture Century Farm in 1907.
A church in Camden, approximately 100 miles southeast of Little Rock also caught fire. Officials report that the First United Methodist Church in Camden saw significant damage, and destroyed all but one of its cabins, according to KATV.
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
