Food Truck Fire Covers Stadium in Smoke During NC State-Wake Forest Game

College football's third week got off to a burning start.

Smoke descends on the stadium due to a fire in a food truck during a matchup between NC State and Wake Forest. / ESPN

NC State and Wake Forest may be Tobacco Road rivals, but usually their games don't involve this much smoke.

On Thursday, the two teams faced off for the 119th time in both teams' ACC openers (the Wolfpack played Virginia in a non-conference game on Saturday). During the game, an enormous cloud of smoke appeared to settle over Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium—which ESPN announcer Matt Barrie attributed to a food truck fire outside the stadium.

LMAO a food trunk is on fire outside of the Wake Forest NC State game and it’s literally hotboxing the stadium @SickosCommittee pic.twitter.com/dw5a0F54bL

— Oswald (@OswaldsWrld) September 12, 2025

"You see the smoke here at Allegacy Stadium—there's actually a food truck behind the stadium," Barrie explained amid shots of Choc's Barbeque Co. and Southern Catering. "Right here you see the flames on it that's causing the smoke and the fire. That man's got a fire extinguisher."

The Demon Deacons led 14–0 when the smoke became noticeable, although the Wolfpack scored on the drive shown in the clip—eventually tying the game at 14–14.

As multiple writers pointed out: c'est la vie in the ever-unpredictable ACC.

---

More College Football on Sports Illustrated

feed