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Many years ago, the art of fire building was as common as bicycle riding. Our modern lifestyle continues to move us away from this valuable skill. A nice warm fire is a pleasure that many of us have forgotten, not to mention the cost savings in electricity or heating oil. Being able to skillfully start your fire only adds to the experience.

Chimney Fires and Carbon Monoxide:

Creosote builds up slowly - a resulting chimney fire is a dangerous surprise. Burning green or wet wood accelerates the build up of this creosote. Before using your fireplace or wood stove, make sure you have a clean and unobstructed chimney. A working carbon monoxide detector is also a worthwhile safety device. Many people die each year because of this odorless gas.

Cleaning the creosote from your chimney is not rocket science, but it's messy and of course requires getting onto the roof. The tools (brush and extension poles) can be rented or purchased. An advantage to hiring a chimney sweep is they will be experienced at discovering problems with your chimney, such as loose mortar and cracks.

Common Reasons for Failure:

Lack of airflow between the wood and lack of airflow through the chimney are common sources of problems. Regardless of which type of damper you have, it will need to be opened all the way to begin with. Inadequate kindling and wood that is wet, green, or not split small enough is also trouble. Using kindling that is too large or not dry enough is prone to failure. On the other hand, kindling which is so small it all burns away before the fire gets established will not work either.

Gather and Arrange Your Materials:

To avoid fighting a losing battle, gather plenty of good kindling, both very small and larger. Small dry twigs are excellent if you have access to them. If they bend without snapping crisply they are probably not dry enough. Gather more than you need in case of difficulty. Many a fire has gone out for lack of a few extra twigs. Split kindling is of course the other option, starting with pieces smaller than a pencil and up to an inch and larger. Nice dry cedar is best but really anything will do if it's dry and split small enough. Remember to save that extra handful of the smallest stuff.

The newspaper you will use should be crumpled up into fairly tight balls. Make a few of them. Also twist a few pieces and set them aside. Strips of thin (cereal box) cardboard with a twist are also excellent.

Now arrange your materials in the fireplace. Set a couple of your smaller

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