ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Firefighters responded to a reported fire Wednesday night at Asheville’s vacant Mountaineer Inn, where a witness said smoke spread into a nearby parking lot.
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. Wednesday, Oct. 21, and reported that 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 said she could see what appeared to be a fire in a ground-floor room of the motel. She described the fire as relatively small but said smoke and a strong odor spread through the area.
Numerous fire trucks responded.
A CrimeRadar summary of emergency radio traffic reported a structure fire about 10:34 p.m. in the area of Tunnel Road, Restaurant Court and Kenilworth Knoll. The summary said firefighters entered a building to battle the flames, searched nearby rooms and requested a road closure to run a hose from a hydrant.
The fire was later reported extinguished, according to the summary. The dispatch information has not been independently confirmed as referring to the Mountaineer Inn.
There was no immediate word on whether anyone was inside the motel, whether anyone was injured or how much damage occurred.
Asheville Fire Department spokesman John Harbin said Thursday that he hoped to have more information about the incident later in the day.
The Mountaineer Inn, at 155 Tunnel Road, has been closed for years.
The property was also the scene of a fire in February. Asheville police said officers found a man inside a vacant 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, meanwhile, have 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 also 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.
The cause of Wednesday night’s reported fire has not been confirmed.