Hot Tips on Building a Camp Fire

Before you start to build a campfire
you must check local regulations.
 
The easiest way to keep a fire under control is by clearing a circular area of 2 metres in diameter, so it is free of small sticks, leaves or clothing. This is your fire pit.

There are three basic types of wood that are needed to construct a fire:

KINDLING is the base foundation of any fire. It is made of lightweight materials that are capable of burning quickly and igniting heavier materials. Kindling is best made of a mixture of twigs, tiny sticks, shaved wood, dried leaves or paper, birch bark, dried grass or dried pine needles.

STICKS are used to make a tepee structure around your kindling. Properly aligning these sticks will allow oxygen into your fire. Sticks used should be 3-4 centimetres in diameter and broken to fit inside the fire pit. It's important that sticks are dry and never taken from living, upright trees.

LARGE PIECES or chunks of wood will be added to the fire last. Chunks should be dry and no more than 3 feet in length. Large chunks of wood should always be placed inside the fire pit.

Camp Fire Construction
Grab two handfuls of kindling and compact into one, football sized pile. The pile should be at the center of the fire pit.

Using your small sticks build a small tepee around the kindling. Align your sticks at a 45-degree angle to the ground, making sure to leave some gaps in the tepee to allow oxygen to circulate inside.









Repeat the above process with your medium-sized sticks to ensure the teepee, when lit, will gather momentum. Keep several large pieces of wood handy as you will need to add these when the fire is at a more mature stage. There is a difference between dry wood and rotted wood. Rotted wood is often damp in the centre, and should be avoided.

Ignitition
Light a match (or ignition kit as pictured) and place it in between one of the gaps in your teepee. If your fire ignites correctly it should begin burning the kindling first, spread to your tepee within a few moments, and then ignite the larger pieces of wood. You can encourage 'wet fires' or hard to light fires by adding a few more pieces of kindling and sticks to the fire as it continues the ignition process. Blowing gently around the base of the fire will also help to get past the kindling stage.



Extinguishing the fire
Leaving a fire unattended is dangerous. Any number of accidents might occur in the absence of people, leading to property damage, personal injury or possibly a bushfire. Ash is a very good insulator, so embers left overnight will only lose a fraction of their heat. It is even possible to restart the new day's fire by using the embers as an igniting device.

Large amounts of water are indispensable for extinguishing a campfire. To properly cool the fire, water should be splashed on all the embers, including places that are not glowing red. Splashing the water is the most effective way to extinguish your fire. The water will boil violently and carry ash in the air.

Always remember that fire can ignite a multitude of materials, including fuel, tents, clothing and picnic tables. Build your campfire at a safe distance from sleeping and eating quarters, and keep people at least 3 feet from the fire's flames.

WHAT TO DO IN RAIN
It's not impossible to build a fire during a rainstorm. The easiest way to accomplish this is to find an area that is at least semi-protected from moisture and downfalls. Many camping areas provide partially enclosed fire pits. When lighting a fire during a rainstorm, you'll more than likely need a chemical fire starter of some sort.

Campfire DON'TS
Treated pine is not suitable for use in a campfire due to the chemicals used in the treatment process.
Riverstones are not to be used as when they heat they can explode without warning.
DO NOT throw glass, stones, batteries, lighters or fuel canisters into a fire under any circumstances.