A pile of burned debris that a Boonville resident thought was put out rekindled Wednesday afternoon, turning into a two-acre woods fire.

Two residences were threatened by a second blaze that afternoon, which was sparked by a faulty catalytic converter.

The two were the first brush fires investigated in Yadkin County by the state office of Forest Resources since the lifting of a statewide burn ban. John Kessler, a local forest service official, is fearful that the county will see more such blazes as the area enters its busiest wildfire season.

Fire fighters from three departments controlled the blaze that erupted from the debris fire on Woodruff Road within about two hours. The call came in at about 2 p.m. and was first reported as a barn fire, according to fire fighters at the scene. Structure fires typically draw assistance from at least three departments, leading to response from Boonville, Arlington and Fall Creek departments.

When fire fighters arrived, they found a tool shed ablaze, and the fire spreading through nearby woods. It moved through light underbrush and fallen leaves, endangering two homes and small cages holding chickens.

The fire fighters asked for brush trucks from various departments and called Kessler for assistance.

After talking to a nearby resident, Kessler said Thursday the woods fire apparently developed from a rekindled debris fire. A 13-year-old had burned some debris and thought it was put out. "Often what happens is that the wind gets up and things dry out and those fires rekindle," Kessler said.

He is afraid the same thing will happen in a bigger way in a couple of weeks. "I'm afraid it is really going to bite us in a couple of weeks. There are a lot of big brush piles around the county that aren't burning much because they are soaking wet. When the wind gets up and they dry out, they are likely to really flame up. I hope the landowner is around when that happens."

Although the burning ban was lifted, Kessler warns people to be cautious with outside fires. "I hope they will use their better judgement and not burn on windy, dry days."

After the Woodruff Road blaze, Kessler said he investigated a blaze off of Baptist Church Road near Boonville. He found chunks of a catalytic converter in the midst of burned patches that stretched 300 yards along the road. One of the blazes threatened a home and burned into the mulch beds around the house. No structural damage was reported.