Are wood pellets used wet?

I bought the Camp Chef Smoke Vault 24. The smoker has a propane burner under the wood chip pan. Used it for the first time yesterday to smoke some racks St. Louis style ribs. I opened the smoker when I noticed very heavy smoke coming out. The wood pellets had started to flame at the back of the pan. Are wood pellets used wet, like wood chips, to slow the burn.

I added water around the edges of the pan which took care of the flaming.

I should have researched before posting. I'll use wood chunks, without the soaking, the next time the smoker is used. The pellets will be saved for use on the gas grill where the smoking time is much shorter.