Forty Asheville Fire Department firefighters responded to the scene of a building collapse at 290 Haywood Road in West Asheville. No one was in the building and no injuries were reported.
Asheville Police and City Development Services Department inspectors assisted with public safety following this incident.
No one was in the building and no injuries were reported. The building was formerly occupied by Moore’s Small Engine Repair. Asheville Fire Department spokeswoman Kelley Klope said Paint Rock Builders had a partial demolition permit and rehab work on the building had started in February.
What caused the collapse? Klope said sinkholes, possibly made worse by a brief heavy rain Wednesday afternoon, was the potential cause. “It looks like there are some large sinkholes around the foundation,” she said.
A fence enclosed the area around a building the next morning. The building, owned by Loren Linck and Maria Weiss, is now condemned and slated for demolition.
Traffic was closed on the West Asheville street when the collapse occurred but Haywood Road is now reopened. A sidewalk in front of the collapsed building remains closed.