ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Firefighters extinguished a fire Wednesday night at Asheville’s vacant Mountaineer Inn, where a witness said smoke spread into a nearby parking lot and left a strong odor in the area.
Asheville Fire Department spokesman John Harbin said crews were called to the motel at 155 Tunnel Road at 10:39 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21.
When firefighters arrived, they found a small fire contained to a single room and quickly put it out, Harbin said.
Asheville police helped control traffic during the response. Fire and police units had cleared the scene by 11:40 p.m.
Leigh, an employee at a nearby convenience store who declined to give her last name, said someone came into the store about 10:47 p.m. and told employees the parking lot was full of smoke.
She went outside to investigate and called 911.
“By the time I called it in, they had said they had multiple calls on it already,” Leigh said.
From the store, she could see what appeared to be a fire in a ground-floor room of the motel.
Leigh said the smoke initially smelled like burning rubber before taking on what she described as an electrical odor.
“The smell started as like a burning rubber smell. Then kinda turned electrical smell,” she said.
Leigh also reported hearing what sounded like an explosion during the fire. Fire officials have not confirmed an explosion or said what might have caused the noise.
Harbin said investigators are still working to determine what caused the fire. No additional details were available.
The Mountaineer Inn has been closed for years, and Wednesday’s fire was not the first at the property.
In February, Asheville police said officers found a man inside a vacant motel room where a fire was burning. He was arrested and charged with first-degree arson and breaking and entering.
The motel’s future has been in limbo for years. LOGE Camps purchased the property for $6.1 million in 2023 with plans to renovate it, but the renovation never happened.
In April, it was reported that Buncombe County was pursuing a court-ordered sale of the property over unpaid taxes.
Preservationists have also been working to save the longtime Tunnel Road landmark, known for its rustic architecture and distinctive neon signs. In August, the Preservation Society of Asheville & Buncombe County submitted an application to have the property considered for the National Register of Historic Places.
City planning records showed earlier this year that Sheetz was exploring the possibility of building a convenience store and gas station on the property. A review of city records found no subsequent development applications.