There are house fires in Black Mountain as I type this. I hope they are under control. Two houses on Skyhigh Drive, east of town, right above US 70, according to WLOS news. I have a friend who lives in that neighborhood.
As I came off I-40 from Asheville this afternoon around 4:00, the clouds of smoke were billowing in the wind...and it was terribly gusty just driving down the interstate.
But it's dark out now, and I'm hoping I'm not smelling smoke drifting into town, so I poked my head out the door to check it out, now that it's 7:30 pm. Smells ok for now. My friend lives on Old Toll Rd, and several of the comments on line say the fires are on Old Toll Rd, not Skyhigh Drive, which is further up the mountain. (I checked Google Map to see where they are.)
Here's the story which was broadcast at 7:30 pm, with live coverage saying one house has been totalled, and the second house fire is being fought, as well as brush fire leading to a third house.
Since I don't have permission from the local news station WLOS, I just link to their broadcast. I'll be checking again at 10 to make sure the fires are reported completely under control.
Did you know my youngest son was a wildland firefighter with the Forest Service, until he returned to art school to get a MFA in Ceramics? True!