There’s nothing like enjoying the great outdoors with a roaring fire, gooey s’mores and a night sky full of stars. But that wonderful campfire is also a big responsibility. Learn how to be safe with your campfire with these tips.
BEFORE
- Choose a spot protected from wind gusts and at least 15 feet from your tent, gear and anything flammable.
- Clear a 10-foot diameter area around your campfire spot by removing leaves, grass and anything burnable down to the dirt.
- Don’t build your campfire near plants or under tree limbs or other flammable material hanging overhead.
- If allowed, dig a pit for your campfire, about 1-foot deep, in the center of the cleared area.
- Build a fire ring around the pit with rocks to create a barrier.
- Don’t use any type of flammable liquid to start your fire.
DURING
- Keep your fire small.
- Always keep water and a shovel nearby to put out your campfire.
- Be sure an adult is always watching the fire.
- Keep an eye on the weather! Sudden wind gusts can blow sparks into vegetation outside your cleared area, causing unexpected fires.
AFTER
- If possible, allow your campfire to burn out completely – to ashes.
- Drown the campfire ashes with lots of water.
- Use a shovel to stir the ashes and water into a “mud pie.” Be sure to scrape around the edges of the fire to get all the ashes mixed in.
- Drown the ashes with water again.
- Check that your campfire is cold before leaving. Hold your bare hand just above the wet ashes, especially around the edges of the fire.
- If you feel heat, stir more water into the ashes.
- When the ashes are cold, disassemble your fire ring and scatter the rocks.
- If you built your campfire in a fire pit, be sure it’s filled with wet dirt.