‘There were 40-foot flames,’ neighbor says of Dix Creek Chapel Road house fire
An Asheville man described the moment he saw flames tearing through his neighbor’s home Thursday morning. “I walked out the back door, looked up there and there were 40-foot flames going up in the air,” said Perry Chandler, who lives next to the home. Firefighters said one person was home when it broke out. But she was able to escape on her own with no injuries. In the aftermath, debris and scraps were scattered everywhere. Firefighters said the home on Dix Creek Chapel Road is likely a total loss. “It burned for a good hour I’d say before they got the complete house. It was real smoky around here,” Chandler said.
West Buncombe Fire Chief Dennis Fagnant said the fire was initially reported at 7:30 a.m., and, because there are no hydrants in the area, all the water had to be trucked in. He credits the mutual aid of responding partners in the effort to get water to the scene and extinguish the fire. Those assisting departments included Asheville Fire Department, Enka-Candler Fire and Rescue, and Leicester Fire Department. Fagnant said one person was in the home at the time of the fire and was able to escape on their own with no injuries. They were taken to Mission Hospital for evaluation. Chandler said because of how fast the fire grew and spread, he was concerned it could spread to his property. He said before the scorching sounds, the first thing he heard was something else. “I could hear things blowing up. But it must have been something blowing up in the house,” Chandler said. Investigators are still working to determine what started the fire.