The system worked—smoke was detected in the Watauga County Courthouse—the alarm sounded and damage was averted. Boone Fire Department responded just before 6 last night to a report of the odor of smoke on the third floor of Courthouse building. Boone Fire tracked the smell and after employing their ladder truck, some light smoke to a rooftop HVAC unit, which was shut down by firemen and maintenance workers. With that, the symptoms of a potential fire stopped and the issue was turned over to maintenance.