Last Updated on April 13, 2026 1:14 pm
A fire that could have been far worse was contained Friday afternoon after improperly discarded smoking materials ignited mulch and debris under a first-floor deck in the 2000 block of Highway 421 South in Boone.
Boone Fire Department was dispatched to the reported structure fire at 1:39 PM on April 10. The caller reported the fire was on the back side of the building. Upon arrival, firefighters found that the tenant and neighbors had already begun fighting the fire with an extinguisher and pots of water before the department arrived.
Boone Fire extinguished the fire and cleared combustible debris from beneath the deck. The fire did not reach the interior of the structure.
Property management at the location prohibits smoking within 25 feet of the building. Boone Fire Department used the incident as an opportunity to remind residents about safe disposal of smoking materials — including dousing cigarettes and matches with water and placing them in a sand-filled metal container away from combustible materials.
The incident comes as North Carolina remains under severe to extreme drought conditions across all 100 counties, with the North Carolina Forest Service maintaining a statewide ban on all open burning.
Boone Fire offered the following wildfire safety tips for homeowners:
Clear leaves and vegetative debris from roofs, gutters, porches and decks
Remove dead vegetation and other items from under decks and within 10 feet of the house
Remove combustible materials — woodpiles, mulch, propane tanks — within 30 feet of the home's foundation
Prune trees so the lowest branches are 6 to 10 feet from the ground
Keep lawns hydrated and cut down dry, brown grass to reduce fire intensity
Inspect and repair loose or missing roof shingles to prevent ember penetration
Cover exterior attic vents with metal wire mesh no larger than 1/8 inch
