ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — A section of Haywood Road in West Asheville was closed late Wednesday morning after a fallen tree or tree debris brought down power lines, sparked a small fire and knocked out electricity to hundreds of customers.
Around 11:35 a.m., 828newsNOW witnessed fire trucks and Duke Energy crews responding near Haywood Road just before the West Asheville River Link bridge and beyond the Cat Clinic of Asheville.
Firefighters were still putting water on the blaze around 11:40 a.m. as Duke Energy workers worked to assess and repair the damage. Crews said they did not yet have an estimated time for when the situation would be resolved.
Duke Energy’s outage map showed about 417 customers without power in the area Wednesday morning.
Two employees at the nearby New Belgium Brewing Company said that they heard a “boom” around 11:15 a.m.
“I was outside in the back and heard a massive boom. Somebody said fireworks at first, but that did not sound like fireworks,” said New Belgium employee Liam Belle. “Then the power flickered. And it flickered again. And I heard our freezer shut off, come back on.”
New Belgium employee Hayley Nolan said that after the power went out, the brewery staff could smell smoke.
“I did hear the boom. The power flickered twice for us, and went down for maybe two seconds, and everything came back on,” Nolan said. “Then I heard everybody saying ‘It smells smoky. It smells like a fire.'”
“It smelled like a campfire,” Belle agreed.
Residents reported feeling a surge or shaking sensation around Haywood Road and Herron Avenue as the incident unfolded. Some said they heard what appeared to be a transformer failure.
Social media posts from residents and road condition groups reported Haywood Road was closed near Craven Street and toward the River Arts District while crews worked.
Drivers were urged to avoid the area and seek alternate routes until the roadway reopens.