How
to Build a Fire
By
B. Dear
Whether
you have a fireplace, a wood stove, or are just out camping, building a
fire is a necessary skill to have. It is important to take proper
safety precautions when building fires because if an accident occurs
while carrying out this activity, it can be quite disastrous, resulting
in a house fire and possible loss of life and property. Some basic
rules of thumb are:
- Ensure that there is proper
ventilation in the area
- Use a screen or some other type
of barrier to keep sparks from jumping out onto carpeted areas or
furniture
- Never use gasoline or other
combustibles to start a fire. It's not necessary to do this anyway if
you are skilled
- Keep flammable items away from
the fireplace or wood stove
- Ensure that nothing can fall
into the area where the fire is burning
- Keep small children and pets
away from the area
- Be careful when carrying
firewood with sharp points.A simple fall could result in serious
injury. (I speak from experience on this one. Ouch.)
With the safety discussion out
of the way, now let's get to the fire building. There are three basic
components that you will need to have. These are fuel, oxygen and an
energy source.
In most cases wood is used as as a fuel. When choosing wood, you will
want to use some type of hard wood. Oak is probably best for burning a
fire indoors since it burns slowly and lasts a long time. Pine and
other softwoods burn quickly but foul the chimney and if proper
maintenance is not carried out, could cause a chimney fire to occur. It
is probably alright to use a little bit of this wood to get the fire
started if you need to.
You will want to keep three sizes of wood on hand. These are kindling
(or sticks), small logs (2-5cm in diameter) and large logs (anything
larger).
It is very important that the wood be dry. if any of your wood is damp,
wait until the fire is burning well before trying to add it or place it
near the fire (outside of spark range) and wait for it to dry.
To start the fire place your kindling in a small stacked pile in the
fire area. It doesn't really matter how you place them but most people
arrange a teepee like structure or a log cabin-like structure making a
square. What is important is that the sticks are very small and that
they have space between them to allow air to flow through. Many people
who aren't successful in getting the fire started usually make the
mistake of stacking them in a pile with no space or trying to light
large logs right away.
To light fires indoors I usually use a small inexpensive propane torch
(the kind plumbers use for connecting pipes) since it burns clean and
doesn't produce a lot of smoke. Only use this to get the fire started
and make sure to move it well away from the fire once you get it
started. Never try to start a fire using leaves, bark, or paper. This
produces a lot of smoke and will likely result in an unpleasant smoky
outcome.
Once your kindling is lit, start adding progressively larger sticks
then
your small logs. Once the fire is burning well and is very hot, you can
add larger logs which will burn longer and not require constant feeding
of the fire.
Remember. Patience is key. Build the fire slowly with a
gradual buildup in wood size. Don't rush the process. Good luck and
Happy Firecrafting. |
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