ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — A tree fell on top of an ART bus today near the intersection of Craven Street and Haywood Road in West Asheville leading to downed power lines and injury.
Around 2:30 p.m. today, Tuesday, Aug. 5, a tree fell unexpectedly on Haywood Road, damaging an ART bus and knocking out power in nearby businesses.
“It came down on the line, so there was a lot of explosions, a lot of fire and there were people hurt,” said Anne Willis, the owner of De La Terre Skincare, a nearby business on Haywood Road. “A lot of screaming people were jumping off the bus and running down here. It was really, to be honest, quite frightening.”
Willis said that she called 911 after the lights went out in her building. Four to five minutes later, EMT services had arrived on the scene.
“There were people limping, but no fatalities, nothing like that,” Willis said. “I don’t know how many people were on the bus, but there probably at least 10, 15 people that were walking along here.”
Around 3:30 p.m., a police vehicle had blocked the segment of Haywood Road with the fallen debris. EMT services and the ART bus were no longer located at the scene, but Duke Energy and cleanup crews were present.
If you are traveling in the area, an Asheville Police Department officer recommended detouring along Riverview Drive to Amboy Road or Riverside Drive to Craven Street.