Building a Campfire

general safety measures

• Use only dead and down wood. Never break branches from standing trees, even if they appear dead.

• Keep your fire small, so it does not get out of control and future campers will be able to find firewood too.

• Have large shovel at your campsite.

• Bring a bucket for quick extinguishing.

• Keep the fire small & manageable.

making a fire ring

If you must build a new fire ring, select a level spot away from over hanging trees, bushes, or dry grass. Avoid the base of steep hills, as fire travels uphill quickly. Clear a circle 10 feet across down to bare dirt. Hollow out a fire hole two feet across, and five or six inches deep. Pile the soil around the edge of the fire hole.

Always use an established fire ring if available!

Do Not:

• do not build your fire on a upward slope. Fire travels up hill fast; plus the winds push it.

• do not build a fire on top of pine needles; fluffy soil. Dig down to the bare soil. Clear fire (sparks fly out) radius at least 8 feet around pit.

• do not start you fire with charcoal lighter fluid. There are plenty of products on the market such as fire starter sticks to help with such a task.

• do not throw plastics, glass or aluminum into the campfire. It is very difficult to clean up.

• do not build a fire in windy conditions.

• do not build a fire anywhere without a free fire permits issued by a ranger. NOTE: Some additional restriction may apply in extreme fire seasons.

• Use an existing fire ring when available. This advice helps along with the minimum impact camping techniques. Don't build a new fire against a boulder.

• Situate your fire at least 10 feet away from tents, trees, roots and flammable items.

• When creating a new rock ring: clear leaves, pines needles & all ground cover a minimum 3 feet diameter.

• Gather firewood and kindling using only fallen branches or down wood. Check to make sure the wood is dry & seasoned (not green & freshly cut)

• Read all signs. Many parks and forest even forbid gathering fallen branches. It plays an important role in the ecosystem of the wilderness.

• Build a pile of kindling, including paper scraps, dry plant matter and other small, flammable items. On rainy conditions or existing damp wood you may want to try the convenient 'fire starter sticks' now sold in supply stores.

• Create a pyramid of dry twigs and small sticks around the kindling pile. Add a few medium size branches on top of the exiting pyramid. Light the kindling with a match.

• Add increasingly larger sticks and then logs as the fire grows.

• Do not create bon fires (taller than 4 feet) in the wilderness or build camp fires under extreme windy conditions.

• Always leaving enough space between them for the fire to breathe. You may need to be fan the fire in order to keep the air circulating within the flames. Paper plates, cardboard, plastic box lid - all works well for this.

• Before you turn in for bedtime, make sure the fire has no flames - embers only & windy conditions are non-existent.

• When breaking camp or leaving camp for more than a few minutes make sure to drown your fire completely out. Poor water all over it, until no sizzling sound can be heard. The old left over water at the bottom of the ice chest works great for this.

  put fire dead out

  Even if you had a fire the night before & the fire seems out. The coals are still cooking way underneath. Pour water on it & hear the sizzling. Put your fire dead out at least 1/2 hour before you start to break camp. Let the coals die down, then pour water over the ashes, and spread soil over them. Mix soil, water, and ashes until all embers are completely out.

  -adapted from 
  http://www.totalescape.com/active/camp/firesafe.html