Do I need to keep a spark screen over my wood-burning fire pit or outdoor fireplace while it's burning?
Yes — over any wood-burning fire pit or outdoor fireplace in Asheville, keep the spark screen on the whole time it's lit. On the close-set lots of Montford, West Asheville, and Biltmore Village, a popped ember has a neighbor's roof, a wood deck, or dry landscaping within easy reach, and our high-2,000-foot air stays dry enough to catch it.
Why the screen earns its keep in town
Wood behaves nothing like the gas flame we build into most outdoor fireplaces. As logs settle, trapped sap and moisture flash to steam and fling glowing bits sideways — pine and other softwoods throw the most — and a mesh dome or hinged panel catches them mid-flight. In a dense neighborhood like Montford or Kenilworth, that mesh is the difference between a good evening and a call to the fire department. Set the pit on stone, gravel, or bare earth, keep it back from railings and the house, and never on a wood deck.
The spark-free option, right down Emma Road
Because Asheville sits on the natural-gas main, the cleanest cure for the ember worry is a gas fire pit or [outdoor gas fireplace](/services/outdoor-fireplace-installation) — a controlled flame that throws no sparks and cuts off the moment you turn it down. Running that gas line is licensed work in North Carolina, and it is squarely our lane: we permit it with Buncombe County, pressure-test it, and set the burner. Prefer to keep the wood? Keep the screen on and tend the fire through it with a poker.
Before you head inside
Never step inside on a live wood fire, and keep a hose or an extinguisher within arm's reach the whole evening. When you're done, drown the coals, turn them over, and drown them again until nothing is warm under your hand. A Buncombe County burn ban means no wood outdoors at all, so check before you light. Our showroom at 629 Emma Rd displays wood and gas options side by side, and being headquartered right here, we can get to any Asheville neighborhood quickly. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Asheville
We install and service fireplaces throughout Asheville and the rest of Buncombe County — we're headquartered right here.