Major gas fire hits Sandhill Road area ***UPDATED 5:50 P.M.***

A picture of the fire, taken by local Jason Setran before he evacuated the area. Photo by Jason Setran, used with permission.

UPDATED 5:50 P.M.: News outlets on the scene, including reporters for WLOS and the Asheville Citizen-Times, are reporting that the fire is out.

UPDATED 5:38 P.M.: The Asheville Fire Department reports via Twitter that they have successfully turned off the gas fueling the fire.

A major fire from a gas line rupture hit the Sandhill Road area, erupting around 4 p.m. today. Emergency response crews have blocked off the area, and reports from both news outlets and social media tell of a huge fireball and a shockwave that shook nearby buildings. The Asheville Fire Department has warned residents to avoid the area, and is working to evacuate anyone remaining.

The Asheville Citizen-Times reported that locals saw 200 ft.-high flames and felt the heat from far away.

According to WLOS reporters, evacuees are going to Enka Baptist Church, and over 1,000 power outages are reported.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

2 thoughts on “Major gas fire hits Sandhill Road area ***UPDATED 5:50 P.M.***

  1. boatrocker

    Jan. 11, 2014- 12:41am

    Authorities have been advising residents to avoid West Asheville and surrounding areas for years for tight jeans, emotionally detached irony, single speed bicycles, artisan food and lack of soul but apparently it takes a gas fire to drive that point home.

  2. RadarNC

    I really don’t understand why we don’t have a reporter in the Asheville & WNC area that has tried to do a complete story on the gas line fire.

    Did anyone consider asking the Gas company responsible, how likely is this to happen again at some other location ? How old are the gas lines ?

    Why were they buried under a heavily traveled road by heavy trucks every day ?

    How much has it cost the businesses that were forced to shutdown, and when will they be able to re-open ?

    Will the gas company reimburse the businesses and people who’s house’s were melted by the fire ?

    Or will they have to sue the gas company to received the money they need to repair their houses and cars ?

    Are there any true journalist left in Western North Carolina ?

    I know there are none at WLOS TV, or any or any of the so called “local radio” stations. How about this so called news site ?
    All I’ve seen on TV news are intern-bimbos.

    What happened to reporting a story and asking the real questions ?

    It’s truly a pathetic city for news reporting.
    If it’s not about food, beer, or music, it must not be news.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.