Do I need to keep a spark screen over my wood-burning fire pit or outdoor fireplace while it's burning?
Yes — in Fairview, where large wooded lots run on propane and wood heat is popular, a spark screen belongs over every outdoor wood fire the entire time it's lit. The same dense woods that make Cane Creek and Garren Creek so appealing bury the ground in dry leaves, needles, and softwood litter — a ready landing pad for any ember that clears the pit.
Heavily wooded, propane-fed, wood-burning
Fairview is classic WNC wood country — big lots under thick canopy, propane where the gas main doesn't reach, and a strong habit of burning wood. All that timber means constant leaf and needle drop and standing brush right where a fire pit sits, and softwood in the mix throws more sparks than seasoned hardwood. Keep the spark screen closed over the fire, rake a wide ring down to bare soil or stone, and set the pit well back from the house, the woodshed, and the tree line. The same creosote-and-dry-fuel conditions that make fall chimney sweeps a must around here make an escaped outdoor ember dangerous.
Propane's the spark-free path
For folks who want the fire without the ember chase, a propane [gas fire pit](/services/gas-fire-pit-installation) or [outdoor gas fireplace](/services/outdoor-fireplace-installation) is the answer out here — a clean, steady flame, no flying coals, and an instant shutoff. Connecting propane to an outdoor feature is licensed work in North Carolina: we set the regulator, run the buried outdoor-rated line, and tune the burner, permitted with Buncombe County. A landscaper can build the surround but legally can't make the fuel connection — that's our lane. Keeping wood? Never leave it lit, and drown the coals stone-cold. We're 15 minutes east — (828) 545-0525.
Cure the wood, watch the wind
Well-seasoned hardwood pops far less than green or resinous wood, so how you store your firewood affects how many sparks you fight. Even then, a gust off the ridges can carry an ember, so keep the fire modest on breezy nights and never trust a lull to last.
Fireplace help in Fairview
We install and service fireplaces throughout Fairview and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes east from our Asheville-area showroom.