ASHEVILLE - A fire at the former Smoky Park Supper Club in the River Arts District was contained within minutes and did not damage the building, according to the Asheville Fire Department.
Crews were called to 350 Riverside Drive about 1:50 p.m. Sept. 24, said AFD spokesperson John Harbin. When firefighters arrived, they found that a steel storage unit inside the building was on fire, but the fire had not reached the structure itself, Harbin said.
The fire was contained in about 10 minutes.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation Sept. 25.
Kristie Quinn, co-owner of the building, told the Asheville Citizen Times in an email on March 16, that the building was under construction to repair storm damage. Quinn said an estimated 4 feet of floodwaters
entered the elevated building, which closed after its executive chef and co-ownerMichelle Baileyleft the business in December 2023.
The fire was at least the second at a vacant business in the River Arts District in recent weeks.
The former White Duck Taco Shop, at 388 Riverside Drive, which has been closed since Tropical Storm Helene devastated the area, burned the morning of Sept. 14.
A post on Reddit just before 10 a.m. showed dark smoke billowing from the structure.
Firefighters put out the blaze over the course of about 20 minutes, preventing the building from collapsing.
Kara Fohner is the Public Safety Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Email her at kfohner@usatodayco.com or call her at 980-241-8671.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Fire contained at former Smoky Park Supper Club
