A brush fire that went wild around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday demolished a large portion of what used to be the Red Carpet Inn on Bush Drive.
At the scene, Christopher George Myers, 36, said he is homeless and was burning kudzu near the closed motel.
"I was trying to kill kudzu," Myers said.
Myers was charged with burning an uninhabited house, factory or store. His bond was set at $50,000.
Myers was convicted in 1996 of second-degree arson.
As public safety officers escorted Myers out of the Burke County magistrate's office, Myers asked to be left alone.
When prompted, Myers apologized because "somebody got hurt."
"I didn't even know about that 'til you told me," Myers said.
Grace Hospital treated two people for smoke inhalation in the emergency room, Anna Wilson of the marketing department at Blue Ridge HealthCare, said. It is unclear if the two people were emergency responders.
AJ Crawley was working at the back corner of the Hampton Inn, which neighbors the closed motel, when he saw flames through the trees.
Crawley said he heard popping noises, saw the flames and smoke and called 911.
Crawley returned outside while waiting for Public Safety. He said the initially small fire engulfed the building in approximately three minutes.
Public Safety Maj. Billy Bradshaw said the department had four fire engines on the scene and several firefighters from other departments assisted.
An hour after firefighters arrived on the scene, the thick black smoke turned white as responders continued to douse the building.
The fire caused the middle of the building, which was being gutted, to partially collapse. The eastern end of the building remained intact.
Other law enforcement organizations assisted Public Safety with its duties while officers tended to the fire, Bradshaw said.
Fulenwider Enterprises purchased the property about a year ago, company Vice President Michael Fulenwider II said.
The company has several options for the property, but had not made any concrete plans for the immediate future, Fulenwider said.
Julie Chang is a staff writer for the Morganton News Herald.
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