How to build a good (and safe) campfire

Sitting around a campfire sets a wonderful scene; it’s the place to toast marshmallows and tell stories. But before you start to build a fire, make sure that you’re allowed to do so in your location. If you’re not, it will be for good reason: perhaps due to high fire risk or a fragile ecosystem. You don’t want to destroy a beautiful place or put yourself at risk.

Once you know you are good to go, start by collecting tinder: dry leaves, dry bark or dry fungi – all things that catch fire quickly and burn fast. This will form the centre of your fire.

Next you need material that will be ignited by the fast-burning tinder; it needs to burn slower, but not as slowly as the large logs that will be your main fuel. Look for thin branches and sticks – again these must be dry. Form the kindling into a small tipi structure around the tinder pile.

Lastly, you need bigger logs and branches that will burn slowly (though not too big or they won’t catch fire easily). Build a tipi of these larger logs around the kindling.

Place a lit match within your tinder pile so it catches fire. Once alight, it will ignite the kindling, then eventually the bigger logs. As the fire burns the tipis will collapse; simply add more fuel once it’s got going. Then get out the guitar – ‘Kumbaya’, anyone…?


Main image: People sitting around a campfire (Shutterstock)