ASHEVILLE – Several city fire department crews are responding July 7 to a “pretty extreme” fire at a warehouse behind the Goodwill Outlet Store on Patton Avenue, which has shut down the road in both directions, according to officials.
The structure fire started about 6:30 a.m. at the warehouse where Goodwill keeps the company’s trucks, at 1616 Patton Ave., Asheville Fire Department spokesperson John Harbin told the Citizen Times. It was reported to the department through a 911 call.
About 13 crews, three battalion chiefs and two fire marshals are on scene working what’s called a “defensive strategy,” spraying water on the “pretty extreme” fire from the outside. They are not sending anyone into the building as it may not be structurally sound, Harbin said.
Firefighters work to put out a fire at the warehouse behind the Goodwill Outlet Store on Patton Ave.
Harbin said firefighters are having “a little bit of an issue” getting water to the fire, so more tanker trucks have been called in. The road is closed near Old Haywood Road to allow crews to safely access all fire hydrants and provide access when the additional tankers arrive.
As of 9:15 a.m., Harbin said he has not heard of anyone who had to be evacuated from the building and there are no injuries from the fire.
Patton Avenue shut down in both directions just before 7 a.m., according to a North Carolina Department of Transportation dashboard. The closure is estimated to end at 1 p.m., though Harbin said around 9:15 a.m. that they could not estimate when the road will reopen. It will likely be several hours, he added.
This story will be updated.
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Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at rober@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Fire at Asheville warehouse closes Patton Avenue July 7: What to know