North Arkansas authorities say a fire has destroyed three buildings at a former theme park.
The Newton County sheriff's office received a report early Sunday about a fire at Dogpatch USA, a former attraction based on Al Capp's "Li'l Abner" comic strip. It closed in 1993.
Glenn Wheeler, fire chief of the Krooked Kreek Volunteer Fire Department, says one building already was destroyed and two others were engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. Wheeler says a fourth building caught fire but had minimal damage. He says the cause of the fire is under investigation.
About 400 acres of Dogpatch USA were sold last year to Charles "Bud" Pelsor. He and his partners want to turn the site into an environmental destination with a restaurant and a creek stocked with trout and freshwater pearl mussels.
