Long Lines, Fights Reported At Some NC Gas Stations
ASHEVILLE -- Fights broke out between motorists waiting in long lines for fuel at an Asheville station and managers called police for help.
The Asheville Citizen-Times reported that three fights occurred Monday at Roadrunner Shell.
Station manager Marsha Messer directed lines of cars in her lot and said people are panicked about the shortage.
Some experts said Asheville's distance from the Colonial Pipeline could be adding to the shortage. The pipeline is the main source of East Coast gasoline supplies that were reduced after Hurricane Ike closed oil refineries on the Gulf Coast.
Colonial Pipeline told WXII12 News that there's no problem with the pipeline itself. The problem is in the Gulf of Mexico, where nine refineries are shut down and in need of repair or electricity, company officials said.
Drivers like Harvey Floyd have witnessed a lot of pain at the pumps these past few weeks
"You can see it when you pull up at the station -- people in line, people disappointed about the prices," he said. "This has been the third time for me that I've pulled up to a gas station and I've had one choice.
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Buncombe County deputy fire marshal Mack Salley said he's talked to local distributors who said they're sending trucks to get gas and they're coming back empty.
Bill Weatherspoon of the North Carolina Petroleum Council said retail agreements are also a factor. Stations that have contracts with suppliers can at least get some gas, but stations that buy on the open market are out of luck for now.