Crews battle blaze in Swannanoa after machinery ignites debris field fire

By CNN Newsource

Published April 7, 2025 9:30 AM

By Ian Brooking & Zola Sigmon

SWANNANOA, North Carolina (WLOS) — Crews are battling a blaze in Swannanoa after a piece of machinery caught fire on April 5.

Chief Anthony Penland of the Swannanoa Fire Department said crews were called to the area of Warren Wilson Road and Sylvester Road off U.S. Highway 70 around 1:45 p.m. for a possible structure fire.

When crews arrived on the scene, it was discovered a piece of machinery on top of a debris field was fully engulfed in flames.

Penland said the debris where the fire started has been in the area for years and could not attribute the fire to anything Helene related.

Penland also could not confirm the size of the fire or provide containment numbers. However, he said that as of 7 p.m. Saturday, there were no structures damaged.

Multiple agencies are assisting the Swannanoa Fire Department as Penland says the fire could “burn for days.”

“What’s happened is there’s mulch that’s down under that piles,” Penland said. “Once it gets down into that mulch, it’s going to deep seed down into that.”

Penland said roadways around US-70 will be impacted as crews continue to battle the blaze.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.