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Building a camp fire is an easy task, provided you are properly prepared before lighting that first match. Here are some simple steps to learn how to build a nice, cozy fire in a matter of minutes. Before you start, always remember to exercise caution when creating a fire outdoors.

1) Clearing out your area
Locate a suitable area to have your camp fire situated. Make sure the pit you are digging is approximately 9-10 feet away from any large objects such as tents, trees and bushes, tables, vehicles, etc. If there is an emergency and the fire spreads, it will be less likely to engulf larger items if they are further away from the initial source. Make sure that the ground near the pit is free of debris and flammable material - dry grass, pine needles, bark and leaves should be removed and kept away from the fire pit area. These items burn very quickly if they are dry, and will spread a fire rapidly.

2) Building a pit
Once the area has been cleared, dig a small pit a few inches into the ground in a circle approximately 3-4 feet in diameter. Make sure that the soil or ground material has some moisture to it. If the ground is still dry, dig a bit further until the ground feels cool and damp. Note: if you cannot reach ground that is not dry, create a small bedding area with sand or gravel if possible.

Line your pit with large rocks to limit the boundary of the camp fire spreading outwards somewhat. This will also act as a visual cue as to how big your firewood should be - if it is larger than the size of the pit, you will need to break it down so it is manageable.

3) Collect wood and kindling
The search begins for dry wood in the area. Do not use live trees and branches as they are still full of moisture and will merely smoke if placed on the camp fire. There should be enough dead branches and trees in the area you are camping in. You may need to cut larger dead wood into sections in order to carry it to your campsite and place it in the fire pit.

In addition to the firewood, you will need small dry branches, twigs and tree bark to use as kindling or fire-starting material for your camp fire. These should be readily accessible where there is an abundance of trees.

4) Building the base of the camp fire
Once the wood and kindling has been collected, set up your camp fire in the following manner:

- lay down a small bed of dry bark, leaves and crumpled up paper about 1 foot in diameter in your pit
- over top of the bed of dry material, create a teepee or pyramid like shape using

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