Do I need to keep a spark screen over my wood-burning fire pit or outdoor fireplace while it's burning?
Yes — out in Leicester, wood heat is a way of life and many homes run on propane, so outdoor wood fires are common and every one needs its spark screen on the whole time it burns. On these big rural lots up Sandy Mush and Turkey Creek, dry brush, softwood, and cold-air drainage that runs the valleys well below Asheville all raise the stakes on a stray ember.
Wood country, big lots, real risk
Leicester burns a lot of wood, and the large wooded properties along Newfound Road and New Leicester Highway come with brush lines, standing softwood, and deep leaf beds — everything a popped ember needs. Keep the spark screen closed over the fire, rake a generous clear ring to bare ground, and keep the pit well back from the house, outbuildings, hay, and the tree line. Seasoned hardwood pops less than pine, so cure your wood well; either way the screen stays on. On a still night here, cold air drains down the valley and can shift into a breeze without warning.
Propane's the clean-fire alternative
Since much of Leicester is off the gas main and on propane, the spark-free option is a propane [gas fire pit](/services/gas-fire-pit-installation) — a steady flame, no flying embers, and a valve that shuts it off cold. On rural properties where the power can flicker, note that gas fire features don't depend on a wall outlet the way an electric heater would. Connecting propane outdoors is licensed work in North Carolina; we set the regulator, run the buried line, and tune the burner, permitted with Buncombe County. Staying with wood? Never leave it lit, and soak it dead before you go in. Call (828) 545-0525.
Cold valleys, longer fires
The 5-to-8-degree cold-air drainage that settles over Leicester's valleys on clear nights means people build bigger, longer wood fires — more heat, more embers, more reason to keep the screen firmly seated and a hose within reach the whole time it's burning, and never step away from it lit.
Fireplace help in Leicester
We install and service fireplaces throughout Leicester and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes west from our Asheville-area showroom.