Build a Fire

Lighting a fire is only half the battle. The way you build a fire - that is, how you arrange the wood - can affect how long the fire will last and the amount of heat it'll give off during that time. This article will provide an overview of "fire architecture" so you can build the perfect fire for your circumstances. __FORCEADV__

Steps

 * 1) Get an ignition source. The most obvious choice is a lighter or matches, but if you're in a pinch, here are some ideas:
 * 2) *How to Create Fire With a Magnifying Glass
 * 3) *How to Light Wet Matches (or if you're proactive, Make Waterproof Matches)
 * 4) *How to Find Flint so you can...
 * 5) **How to Make a Fire With Flint and Steel or Quartzite and Steel
 * 6) **How to Start a Fire With Magnesium and Flint
 * 7) *How to Start a Fire with Sticks
 * 8) *How to Start a Fire With a Dead Lighter
 * 9) *How to Start a Spark with Steel Wool and a Battery
 * 10) [[Image:3905442458_943.jpg|thumb]]Gather tinder, which catches the initial spark or flame and transfers it to the kindling. If the kindling is damp or wet, the tinder must burn long enough to dry out the kindling. You can turn dry sticks and pieces of bark into powdery tinder with a knife. You can also use: dead dry plants and grasses wax lint birch bark char cloth - See How to Create Charcloth moss wood shavings paper pine pitch dry needles from coniferous trees fire sticks fire starters (e.g. How to Make Fire Starters from Egg Cartons)
 * 11) [[Image:Kindling_75.jpg|thumb]]Gather kindling. Kindling needs a large surface to volume ratio so it can produce a very hot flame that's transferred to the main fuel. Good sources: dry twigs and wood pieces, cardboard, large pieces of wood cut into small pieces, fuzz sticks (shavings cut into sticks, but still attached). If you need to split small pieces of wood into smaller pieces for kindling, try these methods:
 * 12) *One way to split a small piece of wood is to use another little stick - not your fingers - to hold the piece you want to split upright. Put the stick at the top corner of the upright piece.
 * 13) *Another way is to hold the stick you want to split parallel to the ax, with the top of the stick touching the ax blade. Both your hands are near the bottom of the ax handle: one holding the ax, and the other holding the stick. With the stick touching the ax blade where you want it to split, swing both the stick & the ax together to hit the chopping block. When the ax splits the stick, give it a twist to finish splitting the stick into two pieces.
 * 14) *Both these methods keep your fingers out of the path of the ax blade, which is a very smart thing to do.
 * 15) Gather fuel. Fuel burns slowly and steadily for an extended period of time. Sources include dry wood, twisted dry grasses, peat, animal dung, and coal. Green or wet fuel can be used, but only once the fire is established; it'll be dried by the heat and burn more slowly than dry fuel.
 * 16) *Softwoods/conifers/evergreens have leaves in the shape of needles. They burn quickly and very hot, and they also contain flammable resins that help with building a fire. Because of this, they're often used for kindling as well, since they're easier to ignite than hardwoods.
 * 17) *Hardwoods have broad flat leaves and they don't catch fire as easily as softwoods. Once they do, however, they burn for a longer period of time and give off more heat.
 * 18) *Look for dry branches on the ground. Branches off trees will have too much moisture in them and it is bad stewardship to cut living trees for firewood use. If it has rained recently, just try to find the driest wood you can.
 * 19) *It may be necessary to know How to Split Hardwood Firewood or How to Split Gnarly Firewood
 * 20) *You can also Make Logs from Newspapers.
 * 21) [[Image:300px Camp_Reflector_Fire.svg_457.png|thumb|A wall made of wood to reflect heat]]Clear a circular area about four feet in diameter. Build a ring of rocks or dig a fire pit that's several inches deep. Constructing a ring of stones will insulate the fire. Alternatively, building a fire wall with logs or rocks will reflect the fire's heat, especially if you'll only be on one side of the fire (because otherwise the heat sent off in the other direction is wasted). If the ground is wet or covered with snow, build a platform out of green logs and cover them with a layer of earth or stones. Always have a bucket of water next to you in case the fire starts burning outside the base. You can also Build a Fire in a Hubcap.
 * 22) Place the tinder in a pile of kindling that's spaced loosely enough to let air circulate, but close enough so a flame can spread through. Light the tinder and add kindling. As the fire grows, add firewood. Now here's where your inner architect can shine through...choose one of the following arrangements:
 * 23) *[[Image:Camp Teepee Fire 2772.png|thumb]]Tepee - Arrange tinder and a few sticks of kindling in the shape of a cone and light the center. The outside logs will fall inward and feed the fire. Burns well with wet wood, however the fire position also burns wood rather quickly.
 * 24) *[[Image:300px Camp_Log_Cabin_Fire.svg_632.png|thumb]]Log cabin method - Stack layers alternating in direction, forming walls around a tepee. Air between sticks allows circulation of air. The "chimney effect" will suck air in through the bottom and let it exit through top as strong flame.
 * 25) *[[Image:300px Camp_Council_Fire.svg_652.png|thumb]]Pyramid - This is like the log cabin method, except the layers get smaller as they reach the top, and there is no tepee inside. Place two small logs or branches on the ground so that they're parallel to each other, then put a solid layer of small logs or branches on top of them in a perpendicular direction. Add three or four more layers, each time alternating the direction, and each layer being smaller than the one before. Light the top of the pyramid on fire, and it will burn downwards on its own.
 * 26) *Lean-to - Push a green stick into the ground at a 30 degree angle, pointing in the direction of the wind. Put tinder underneath and lean sticks of kindling against the main stick. Light the tinder and add more kindling as needed.
 * 27) *Cross-ditch - Scratch a cross in the ground that's 30cm or 12" in diameter. Make it 7.5cm or 3" deep and put a big wad of tinder in the middle. Build a pyramid out of kindling over the middle. The ditch will allow air to flow through and feed the fire.
 * 28) *[[Image:300px Camp_Star_Fire.svg_799.png|thumb]]Star - With this arrangement, you can push the logs inward to increase heat, and pull them out to decrease heat. It's particularly helpful if you're trying to conserve fuel.

Tips

 * If it's a small branch that is still attached to the tree, but has no bark, it will be an excellent intermediate between your tinder and kindling.
 * All the fuel must be dry; a good test is to see how easily things snap instead of bend, especially for the twigs. If it bends, it's safe to say it's damp.
 * If you will be at a campsite or other area for multiple days, store some fuel in a dry area just in case it rains. This way, you will have enough dry fuel should you want to start or continue a fire later on in your trip/event.
 * The log cabin method is the best especially if you need lot of heat as it is the best in terms of air flow, heat, and you can stack the wood much higher than with other methods since it is a tower instead of a tee pee which eventually converges into one spot.
 * If you want to move the fuel around in the fire, dunk the end of a long sturdy stick into a bucket of water and use the end to move things around. Sometimes, moving logs around may greatly improve the fire.
 * The best way to be great at building fires is to practice. Offer to help an experienced person build and watch a fire. Soon enough, you will be ready to teach others this skill.

Warnings

 * Before starting the fire, make sure that you are allowed to make one. Most campsites may allow stoves only - or no fires at all - depending on how hot and dry a particular day is. These advisories may change from day to day, so be prepared to put out your fire even if you were allowed to have it the day before.
 * Fire and the hot coals it produces are dangerous. Know how to React if You Get Burned.
 * [[Image:Fire_1_bg_102603_389.jpg|thumb|Put out your fires, or the forest may burn down... and it'll be your fault]]Prevent forest fires. Contain your fire in a safe fire pit, clear out nearby burnable stuff, and make sure your fire is out cold before leaving it, even to sleep. If you can place your hand in the place where the fire was, it is cold enough.
 * Keep a pair of water-filled buckets near before starting your fire. If the fire goes out of control, then you will have something nearby to put it out. If there is little water in your area, fill the buckets with sand or soil instead. For larger fires, prepare more buckets.
 * Make sure at least one responsible person is tending the fire at all times.
 * Don't build the fire too high.
 * Avoid using stones from in or near water to line your fire pit. Rocks store water inside their structures and if rapidly heated they can crack and explode.

Related Tips and Steps

 * How to Build a Campfire
 * How to Choose a Tent
 * How to Reuse Old Wine Corks
 * How to Start a Fire With Sticks
 * How to Create Fire With a Magnifying Glass
 * How to Have a Bonfire
 * How to Cook Breakfast over an Open Fire