Two student apartment dwellers escaped unharmed from a fire that gutted a commercial building early Monday on Merrimon Avenue, the Asheville Citizen-Times reported.
Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the blaze at 498 Merrimon Ave., Asheville Fire Department acting battalion chief Eddie Wyatt said. The building was fully involved in flames when firefighters arrived.
The apartment residents — two UNC Asheville students — lived on the upper floor of the large brick building. One student was able to make it out of the burning building on his own, while the other was rescued by a firefighter who had to force open a door, firefighter Kelley Klope said.
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.