How to Start
a Fire
Warmth, cooked food, boiled water and a signal. Most fires fail before the match is struck, because the fuel was not ready. Here is how to get it right the first time.
Check for fire bans first. On a Total Fire Ban day you cannot light a fire in the open, and that includes a campfire. Check the fire danger rating and the rules with your state fire service and the park or council before you strike a match.
How Fire Works
Every fire needs three things. When yours is struggling, one of them is missing.
Heat
- The flame or spark that starts it, then the heat of the fire itself
- Small fuel catches first because it heats up fastest
Fuel
- Dead, dry wood that snaps cleanly
- Fine stuff first, then build up the size
Air
- Leave gaps. Most new fires are smothered, not starved of fuel
- Blow gently at the base to give it a boost
Pick a Safe Spot
Use a fireplace or fire ring where there is one. If not, choose your spot with care.
Clear the Ground
- Clear at least 3 metres around and above the fire of leaves, grass, branches and anything that can burn
- Away from tents, overhanging branches, logs and roots
- Out of the wind where you can, or shielded by rocks
Keep It Small
- A fire no more than a metre across is plenty for warmth and cooking
- Some states set rules on size and require a trench. In Victoria, for example, it must be in a fireplace or a trench at least 30 cm deep
- Check the rules in your state and park
Water First
- Have at least 10 litres of water or a fire extinguisher beside you before you light it
- Someone stays with the fire the whole time it burns
Gather Everything First
Collect three times more kindling than you think you need, before you light anything.
Tinder
- Fine, dry and fluffy: it catches a spark or flame
- Dry grass, shredded stringybark or paperbark, wood shavings, dry gum leaves
- From your kit: cotton wool with petroleum jelly, jute twine, fire starter cubes
Kindling
- Dead twigs in three sizes: match-thin, pencil-thick, thumb-thick
- Snap test: it should break cleanly with a crack. If it bends, it is green or wet
- Dead twigs still on trees and shrubs are often drier than those on the ground
Fuel Wood
- Dead branches from wrist-thick up
- Many national parks ban collecting firewood. Bring your own where that applies
- Never cut live trees
Build the Fire Lay
The teepee is the easiest lay to light and the fastest to get going.
Build a Teepee
- 1 Put a fist-sized ball of tinder in the middle of your fire spot
- 2 Lean match-thin sticks over it in a cone, leaving a gap on the side the breeze comes from
- 3 Add a layer of pencil-thick sticks around that
- 4 Keep the thicker kindling and fuel within reach, not on the fire yet
Other Lays
- Log cabin for long-lasting cooking coals
- Lean-to for windy days
- See all six in Campfire Types
Light It
Light the tinder at the base, on the side the wind is coming from, so the flame blows into the fuel.
Matches and Lighters
- The easiest way. Carry both, in a waterproof container
- Strike the match away from you, then cup it until the stick catches
- A cold gas lighter struggles. Warm it in your hand first
Ferro Rod
- Works when wet and in wind, for thousands of strikes
- Hold the striker still and pull the rod back, so sparks land in the tinder
- Full technique in Ferro Rods and Fire Starters
Battery and Steel Wool
- Touch both terminals of a 9-volt battery to a pad of the finest (0000) steel wool
- It glows instantly. Push it into the tinder and blow gently
- Store the steel wool and batteries apart. They can start a fire in your pack
Magnifying Glass
- Focus the sun into the smallest, brightest dot you can on dark tinder
- Hold steady until it smokes, then glows, then blow gently
- Needs strong sun. Never leave a lens lying where the sun can focus through it
Grow It
Feed it slowly and in order of size. Rushing is how fires go out.
Feed It
- 1 When the tinder flames, let the match-thin sticks catch
- 2 Add pencil-thick sticks once those are burning well, then thumb-thick
- 3 Add fuel wood one or two pieces at a time
- 4 Keep gaps for air. If it smokes heavily, it needs air or drier wood
Stay Safe
- Never use petrol or other fuels to start or boost a fire. They can explode
- Keep children and loose clothing well back
- If the wind picks up, put the fire out
Video Guide
A clear beginner walkthrough of building and lighting a campfire.
How to start a campfire (L.L.Bean)
This is a video from another creator on YouTube. Fire rules in Australia may be stricter than where it was filmed.
Put It Out Properly
A fire is out when the ashes are cold to the touch, not when the flames are gone.
Drown, Stir, Feel
- 1 Pour water over all of it until the hissing stops
- 2 Stir the ashes and wet coals with a stick
- 3 Pour on more water
- 4 Hold the back of your hand just above the ashes. If you feel any heat, repeat
Use water, not soil.
Embers buried under sand or dirt can smoulder for hours, reignite, and cause serious burns to the next person who walks over them. If it is too hot to touch, it is too hot to leave.
Fire When You Need It
Ferro rods, waterproof matches, tinder and camp cooking gear.
More How-To Guides
This guide is general information only. Fire rules differ between states, territories, parks and shires and change with the season, so check the rules where you are before lighting any fire, and never light one on a Total Fire Ban day. In a life-threatening emergency, call Triple Zero (000).
Photo: Luke Porter on Unsplash