Food truck fire sends smoke over Allegacy Stadium during NC State–Wake Forest game

Sep, 12 2025

Smoke over Allegacy Stadium: what happened

For a few surreal minutes in Winston-Salem, the biggest storyline in an ACC opener wasn’t a blitz pickup or a busted coverage. It was smoke—thick, gray, and rolling—spilling over Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium during NC State–Wake Forest after a food truck fire on the concourse ignited late in the first quarter.

The source was a local favorite, Choc's Barbeque Co. and Southern Catering, parked beside one of Wake Forest’s grandstands. A malfunction inside the meat smoker turned from a flare-up to open flames that reached the ceiling of the truck. ESPN’s cameras caught the fire live as it intensified, and the broadcast quickly pivoted to show an employee sprinting in with a fire extinguisher while plumes drifted across the lower bowl.

On the field, Wake Forest had started fast and clean. The Demon Deacons had jumped to a 14-0 lead with 3:22 left in the opening period. Chris Barnes jolted the stadium on the very first touch of the night, slicing through coverage for a 98-yard kick return touchdown. A few series later, he flipped the field again with a 70-yard reception that set up Wake’s second score. After scraping by with just 10 points against Kennesaw State in their opener, that early burst felt like a statement.

Then the smoke rolled in. Fans nearest the concourse turned to look, some mistaking the haze for a pregame fog machine gone rogue. The scent gave it away—this was barbecue, and not the good kind. For a moment the scene looked chaotic on TV, but inside the stadium it stayed contained. Security and stadium operations moved quickly, and safety crews on site deployed extinguishers to knock down the flames. The fire didn’t spread beyond the unit. No injuries were reported.

There was no stoppage in play. The officiating crew kept the game moving while staff worked on the concourse. You could see players glance toward the stands between snaps, but the action continued uninterrupted. Within minutes, the fire was under control and the smoke began to lift over the north side of the stadium.

NC State seized the window. Just as the fire erupted, the Wolfpack punched in a five-yard touchdown—CJ Bailey to tight end Justin Joly—to cut the lead in half. Roughly a minute later, defensive lineman Isaiah Shirley jumped a deflected ball from Wake’s Robby Ashford and rumbled 41 yards for a pick-six. In a blink, 14-0 became 14-14, and the night went from routine to restless.

On social media, the jokes wrote themselves. Tobacco Road rivals with actual smoke? Plenty of fans leaned into it, but the bigger takeaway was relief. The incident was dramatic to watch, yet it didn’t force evacuations, didn’t injure anyone, and didn’t derail the game. It turned into a viral moment without becoming a crisis.

The location mattered. Allegacy Stadium’s concourse is open-air, and the truck was positioned outside the main seating bowl. That setup gave crews space to isolate the fire and kept it from threatening the grandstands. A mild breeze pushed the smoke toward the field and lower sections, which is why the haze was so visible on TV, but the flames themselves stayed away from fans.

For context, food service fires inside sports venues aren’t common, but they’re not unheard of. Grease, heat, and crowded setups are a risky mix if equipment fails or flare-ups go unchecked. Trucks and concession stands typically carry Class K fire extinguishers designed for cooking oil and grease. Staff are trained to cut fuel sources, close hoods, and attack the base of the fire before it spreads. What viewers saw at Allegacy fit that playbook: a fast response, extinguishers deployed, and a quick knockdown.

The sight of smoke inside a stadium understandably rattles people, especially after high-profile incidents elsewhere. In 2022, a tailgate grill left unattended in the parking lot outside Hard Rock Stadium in Miami sparked a blaze that engulfed several cars during an NFL game. The key difference Thursday: the Wake Forest fire was contained to a single unit on the concourse and never threatened the seating structure.

ESPN’s broadcast caught the moment in real time and added context on air. Cameras zoomed from the live action to the concourse as the smoke thickened. Announcers calmly explained what viewers were seeing, from the flames licking the interior of the truck to the staffer working the extinguisher. It was unusual, yes, but it also showed how quickly stadium crews can mobilize in a pinch.

Back on the field, the game had already swung twice. Barnes’ instant-special-teams impact put Wake Forest in control early, and his deep reception helped build the two-score cushion. NC State’s response—methodical on offense, opportunistic on defense—reset the tone. Bailey’s red-zone strike to Joly steadied the sideline. Shirley’s pick-six flipped the pressure onto Wake’s offense, which had looked comfortable before the turnover. The sequence had little to do with the fire itself, but the timing gave the night an unforgettable rhythm: score, smoke, score, score.

The rivalry angle added juice. NC State and Wake Forest may not trade national headlines like some ACC heavyweights, but they share a long, in-state history and a knack for weird games. Both came into the night unbeaten. Both needed a clean conference opener to set the course for September. Early-season momentum isn’t everything, but it’s the kind of measuring stick that colors the next month.

Zoom out, and there’s a practical story here about game-day operations. Stadiums run layered safety protocols covering weather, medical events, and yes, fires. Concessionaires and food trucks go through permitting and inspections. Equipment is supposed to be maintained and staged with clear access to extinguishers. Crews practice response steps—alert command, isolate the hazard, attack the source, and monitor for rekindle. Thursday’s response checked those boxes, which is why the night didn’t spiral.

There’s also the airflow factor. Open concourses are great for fan movement and ventilation, but they can turn smoke into a visible spectacle when the wind cooperates. That’s what viewers saw: a contained fire producing a big visual while the danger stayed localized. It made for dramatic television and a wave of memes without the consequences that usually follow pictures like that.

Choc’s Barbeque Co. and Southern Catering has been a fixture at local events, and the truck’s location on the concourse speaks to how common on-site smoking rigs have become at stadiums. Smoked meats draw lines. Smokers, though, run hot for hours and build up grease. Malfunctions can escalate fast. Expect equipment checks and a review of procedures in the coming days—standard practice after any on-site incident—even when outcomes are as favorable as Thursday’s.

For fans, the scene was a reminder of a few basics when something out of the ordinary happens in a crowded venue. You don’t need a safety lecture to remember these simple moves:

• Follow the lead of stadium staff and security. If they wave you back or redirect you, go with it.
• Avoid clustering near the incident, even if it looks under control. Give crews space.
• Move upwind if smoke drifts your way, especially if you have asthma or other sensitivities.
• Keep aisles and exits clear. Curiosity is natural; blocking pathways isn’t.
• Report anything you see to the nearest staffer instead of trying to handle it yourself.

Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium—formerly BB&T Field—seats a little over 30,000 and sits just east of downtown Winston-Salem. On nights like this, the open corners and breezeways create that pleasant late-summer feel. They also let smoke travel. The contrast played out in full view: a cozy venue, a hyper-local vendor, and a mishap that looked worse than it was.

None of that diminishes how jarring it felt in the moment. Smoke hanging above a football field is not something you expect to see on a Thursday night in September. Yet in a way, the response was a blueprint: quick action, clear communication, no panic, and a game that kept humming. The crowd settled. The teams got back to trading punches. The first quarter ended looking nothing like it started.

By the time the haze thinned out, the football part of the night had its own suspense. Could Wake’s offense reassert itself after the early surge? Could NC State ride the momentum of a defensive touchdown and a sudden energy spike? Those were the questions that mattered again once the air cleared—literally. The fire didn’t define the game, but it absolutely colored the memory of it.

In the end, the moment became one more chapter in a rivalry built on proximity and plot twists. The photos will live on: smoke above the stands, a lone extinguisher punching back, players peering toward the concourse between snaps. It was a reminder that live sports are unpredictable in all the ways you expect—and sometimes in a few you don’t.