BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. (AP)  An “eternal” flame at Bullhead City’s new veterans memorial park that lasted only until city officials received a $961 gas bill has been relighted after complaints by veterans groups.

The Medal of Honor Memorial at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Park alongside the Colorado River was lighted on Veterans Day in November. When the bill arrived in late December, city officials were stunned.

“It caught us by surprise,” said the city manager, Tim Ernster, on Thursday, who added that what they had decided to do for the time being was to turn the flame on “for special events, for Veterans Day, Fourth of July, Memorial Day  those types of activities.”

The flame was extinguished on Monday. The Mohave Valley Daily News published a story Friday quoting city officials and disgruntled veterans who had worked to pay for and build the memorial before turning it over to the city.