Fires can be a very practical and fun thing to build as long as you do it safely. Fire safety is a very serious thing and if not done properly can lead to major and dangerous outcomes. A winter or summer fire can give light to the night and make a great camping experience even better, keeping you warm and allowing you to cook delicious meals and deserts. This article will help you learn how to build a campfire step by step and how to maintain a fire from beginning to end.
Find or Make a Fire Pit
Most camping sites you may go to already have built in fire pits which work great. Some of these could also have a grate built in which allow you to cook over the fire. These are great, viable, and easy options when it comes to what type of fire pit you should use. If the fire pit is full of old coals and ash we recommend to get a stick and try to spread it out evenly across the fire pit so there is no pile up of choles.
If there is no fire pit already you will have to make your own. To do this gather medium to large size rocks which are stackable. Once you have gathered your rocks find the place you want your fire and dig a shallow but wide hole to fit your fire. Lastly you will have to stack your rocks about two or three high in a circle around your hole until your pit is complete.
Build up your fire
It is preferable if you bring your own firewood as it is less harmful for the environment and will reduce your impact on your campsite. Sometimes it is not possible to bring your own so will have to gather it yourself. When gathering wood you should only take wood that is dead and already fallen. You will want to gather three different types of wood, firewood, Kindling, and tinder. Each of these are different sizes and types as seen in the picture above.
Now that your wood it is time to build the beginnings of your fire. There are many different ways to do this but we will show you a few of the best and easiest ways.
TeePee
Log Cabin
Leaning Fire
Lighting Your Fire
After you have built up your wood it is time to light it. In all of the different builds you will want to light the tinder and let the flames grow from there. A long neck lighter is recommended as it is the easiest and safest option to reach the pile of tinder. You can still light it with a small lighter or match. No matter what lighter or build you have, start lighting the tinder until you see flames. If the kindling doesnt start to catch fire fast you can lightly blow towards the tinder to provide more oxygen to the fire which helps it grow. Once the kindling and firewood begin to burn gradually add more wood until the desired size is reached. Make sure to stay safe and make sure your fire does not exceed the fire pit. As the fire continues to burn safely push the hot coals towards the center which will help ignite new logs put on.
EXTINGUSHING it
Once you think you may want to put out the fire soon stop adding new wood in order to help you put it out when you are done with it. The easiest way to extinguish your fire requires the fire run down until it is only coals with no flames. One you have reached this point you will want to dump a significant amount of water on the hot coals. Spread the water and coals out evenly around the fire pit. Repeat this process of water and spread out the coals until they are cool to the touch(be careful when doing this to not grab hot coals). Double check the fire that it is completely out and there are no lit embers or coals anywhere near or in your pit. This will ensure fire safety making sure nothing will go wrong after you leave your fire.
Clean Up
After you are all done using your fire pit it is time to clean it. Once you complete this it will seem like no one ever camped there, which is what you want once it is time to leave your campsite. If you built your own fire pit you will want to disperser all of the rocks, used to form your pit, across the campsite where they would naturally be. Next you want to pack up all of the ashes and coals. To do this get yourself a trash bag and scoop up everything that was in your fire pit until it is mostly dirt. It is preferred to carry out your coals and ashes because it has less effect on the environment but if this isn’t an option spread out the ashes and coals across your campsite to make it as un-noticeable as possible. Last you will want to fill in the small hole the best you can. Cleaning up may be tedious but it has a significant impact on the footprint you leave behind and can be the difference between there being a ban on campfires or not the next time you decide to have one.