3:50 p.m. update
Entergy Arkansas said in a statement about 3 p.m. that it had restored power to 1,800 customers, with more than 3,300 households still in the dark as of Wednesday afternoon.
An online map about 3:30 p.m. showed the outage area shrinking further north and west away from Interstate 430. Areas of Maumelle east of the Country Club of Arkansas and west of White Oak Bayou remained without power at that time.
Remaining customers in the dark are set to see their power restored by midnight Tuesday, according to an updated time frame.
"Due to equipment failure we are experiencing numerous outages," Entergy states on its map. "Entergy personnel are working to restore service as quickly as safely possible."
— Brandon Riddle
1:55 p.m. update
A fire at the main conductor that supplies power to parts of Maumelle and North Little Rock caused an extensive power outage that continues to affect thousands of Entergy customers, according to a spokesman.
Entergy spokesman Sally Graham said an animal in the area could have caused the conductor to ignite, leading to the outage that started Wednesday morning.
Customers still in the dark are expected to have their power restored in intervals — some as early as 2:30 p.m. Remaining Entergy customers have an estimated restoration time of no later than 4 p.m.
As of about 1:50 p.m., more than 3,500 customers in Pulaski County remained without power, according to Entergy's outage map.
— Brandon Riddle
1 p.m. update
Power has been restored to some customers in Maumelle and North Little Rock who lost it earlier Wednesday, but Entergy Arkansas is now estimating thousands of others who remain in the dark won't have electricity back until 4 p.m.
The utility said on its website that about 5,000 customers were without power in Pulaski County at 1 p.m. That was down from more than 5,300 a short time earlier. An online map showed some customers along Maumelle Boulevard had had their power restored.
Entergy listed the 4 p.m. estimated restoration time for more than 4,000 of the customers. Others were expected to have electricity back on by 2:30 p.m.
The cause of the outage wasn't known.
— Arkansas Online
11:22 a.m. update
Entergy Arkansas reported that power was out for more than 5,300 customers in Maumelle and parts of North Little Rock on Wednesday morning, though the cause of the outage was not immediately clear.
A spokesman for the utility company said two mechanics were en route to Maumelle to determine the cause of the problem shortly before 11 a.m.
The company estimated power could be turned back on around 12:30 p.m., but the spokesman said that was a preliminary estimate.
Power was still on in the area around Maumelle City Hall and in between the city's two country clubs, according to an online outage map.
A Maumelle police spokesman said the department had not received any calls about the outage.
— John Moritz