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 the small twigs and kindling wood
- stuff some more dry material into the spaces between the kindling twigs
Ensure that there is enough room for air to pass through the bottom of the base. The key to a successful fire comes from the amount of available oxygen to burn. If the air supply is blocked or choked, the fire will dwindle and die.
5) Starting the fire
Once the base has been created, light the dry material with matches or a lighter until it is successfully burning. Keep a close eye on the initial fire at this point, as it is vital in starting the full camp fire. Allow the kindling to catch and burn before adding more to the base and strengthening the intensity of the flames.
When the base fire is large enough, you can place three larger pieces of wood surrounding the base propping each other up in the center (similar to the pyramid/teepee setup used to start the base fire.) Monitor these larger logs until they catch and start producing a larger camp fire. Again, make sure there is enough airflow going through all of the logs by spacing them out.
6) Maintaining the fire
Now that your fire has been started and is beginning to come to a full roar, reposition the logs once they have reached the halfway point of burning and place a log in between your pyramid shape over some glowing embers. Eventually the teepee shape will collapse on its own, but there should be enough glowing coals below and fire above to support more logs being thrown on and adding to the camp fire size later.
If you followed these steps, you have successfully made yourself a camp fire. Camp fires are fun for all ages, but it is important to realize the dangers of fire and that they should be carefully extinguished after use. Make sure that you also have the proper items to douse the flames if an emergency happens. You should have a bucket of water, a bucket of sand, and a large blanket for stamping/slapping out small flare ups in dry material due to flying embers. Be prepared for your adventures outdoors, and you will be able to enjoy campfires and good times for years to come.