Firefighters have contained a large wildfire that has been burning since Sunday at Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area in Benton County.
Fred Sutton, a park ranger, said the fire had burned about 200 acres within a containment zone established Wednesday. He said all but a few of those acres were within the state park.
"We controlled the wildfire with fire," said Sutton. "This is actually an area that we were going to burn later this year, but it wasn't ready. So this is not a horrible thing. This is an area we have burned in the past."
Sutton said downed limbs and trees from a 2009 ice storm were still on the ground. Combined with leaf litter, the wood provided fuel for the fire.
The boundaries of the containment area were Shaddox Hollow Trail and Beaver Lake to the north, Arkansas 12 to the south, Arkansas 303 to the east and man-made fire lines to the west.
Sutton said there were two structures in the vicinity of the fire, but neither was damaged.
He said people in the area may see smoke until it rains or all the fuel sources are burned up.
Sutton said the cause of the fire is under investigation, but Piney Point Fire Chief Blake Ballou said in a Facebook post Thursday that it was arson.
"The fire was the result of a deliberate act, including areas that were lit outside of the containment zone after the initial response, requiring additional actions for containment," the post said. "The scene is checked periodically to ensure all threats mitigated. Fire is contained at this time."
According to the Piney Point Fire Department, other agencies that assisted in the firefighting include the Beaver Lake Fire Department, Rocky Branch Fire Department, Arkansas State Parks rangers, Arkansas Forestry Division rangers and Benton County Emergency Management personnel.
Unusually dry conditions, paired with the recent leaf drop, mean that wildfire danger is moderate and trending toward high, according to Buffalo National River officials.
Rain is in the forecast for much of Arkansas this weekend.