Photo: Douglas Sacha/Getty Images

Inferno Burns Homes at North Carolina Ski Resort

Originally posted on Powder | By Ian Greenwood | Last updated Mar 17, 2025 2:10 PM ET

After lightning struck Beech Mountain Resort, North Carolina, several housing units and cars were engulfed and destroyed by fire early Sunday morning, according to local news reports.

The Beech Mountain Volunteer Fire Department’s Chief Bob Pundey said the blaze was caused by high winds, according to WSOC-TV.

Multiple fire agencies responded to the incident, which was reported around 5:30 a.m.

Eyewitnesses said the lighting hit a back deck at the Snow Tree Villas before the inferno began, WCNC reports. Eyewitnesses also said propane tanks in the area added further fuel to and worsened the blaze, WNCN reports.

Crystal Rogers, a witness of the fire, shared a post on Facebook illustrating the scene in words and photos.

“Transformers started blowing, then propane tanks. Power line down across vehicles,” she wrote, adding that first responders had to cut through downed trees to reach the fire.

There have been no reported injuries, according to several local news outlets.

The Snow Tree Villas are located on Beech Mountain Resort’s terrain park and, according to the accommodation’s website, are “ski in or ski out in the Winter, bike in or out in the summer.”

Beech Mountain Resort was closed on Sunday, and those with prior ticket purchases were refunded. The ski area reopened Monday morning with plans to spin its lifts until March 22, which is the scheduled closing day for the winter season.

Located almost a three-hour drive from Charlotte, North Carolina, Beech Mountain Resort features 95 skiable acres and nine lifts. It opened in 1967 and is the highest ski area in eastern America.

This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

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