I recently searched for campfire safety ideas and was disappointed at all the garbage people try to pass as safe ideas for campfires.

So I decided to write a better list based on my two decades of camping experience and nearly a decade in scouting.

24 Tips for a Safe and Happy Campfire

1. If your campsite has designated fire areas for building campfires, use them.
   
2. If your campsite has pre-built fire pits, burn barrels, or similar fire safety devices, use them.
   
3. Only build fires on gravel or dirt. Never on grass, leaves, or other flammable materials.
   
4. Clear a five-foot designated ‘fire circle’ down to the dirt. Boy Scouts call this the ‘Fire Circle’ and train young scouts about mandatory campfire safety rules that apply within the circle.
   
5. Campfire size should be built based on how big do you NEED versus how big can I make it. If the campfire is for only a few campers, then make it smaller to keep it contained.
   
6. Rocks or No Rocks around the fire circle? Campfire markers are anything solid and noticeable, not just rocks. The markers designate an ‘off-limits’ campfire safety area and are especially useful with kids. On more than one occasion, I’ve used wood logs as fire circle markers and a dry seat after it rained. Later in the evening, I tossed the logs on the campfire as fuel. It was one less thing to clean-up and made it easier to practice ‘Leave No Trace’ camping.
   
7. Pull back overhanging branches and tree limbs that could catch fire from the heat or floating embers of your campfire. If it’s not possible to move the branches, move the location of the campfire, so you aren’t directly under or next to the trees.
   
8. 
   Check the weather forecast. Wind can carry glowing hot embers from the campfire to nearby dry areas, vehicles, tents, hammocks, or people. It’s fire, use common sense.
   
9. Stack extra firewood upwind and away from the campfire. 15 to 20 adult paces is a good start.
   
10. Use Firestarters. It’s easy to make your own. Clothes-dryer lint is ridiculously flammable. Take an old cardboard egg carton, place dryer lint in each slot and melt old candles or paraffin wax on top. Another effective firestarter is cotton balls dipped in vaseline/petroleum jelly.
    
11. Wait until the match is cold to discard it. Or dip it in your water bucket first.
    
12. Start Small. Build with small branches first. Always maintain control of your campfire. Expand your campfire slowly, gradually increasing the size of the wood logs.
    
13. When adding new wood to the campfire, all pieces should be pointed in towards the others or built-in parallel layers to create a chimney effect.
    
14. Mind the Gap. You should see the light through gaps between the wood in a campfire. More smoke means the fire needs more oxygen and usually indicates the wood logs are too close together.
    
15. Teach children to respect the dangers of fire and the rules for campfire safety.
    
16. There is a vast difference between a child with a healthy respect for fire and another that is foolishly brave because an adult never taught basic campfire safety. The latter usually involves a hospital.
    
17. Never touch or reach in the fire with your hands to adjust burning logs. And never let children see you do this. Use other logs, large sticks, or metal fire pokers to move wood.
    
18. NEVER leave a campfire unattended. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER leave a campfire unattended. Bad things happen when campfires are left unattended.
    
19. Always keep at least one or two buckets of water near the campfire for emergency or to extinguish the fire. The farther from a water source, the more buckets you need.
    
20. Always bring a fire extinguisher with you and keep it handy near the campfire.
    
21. Do not burn trash in a campfire. That should be common sense, but it’s still worth mentioning. Materials react to fire in unpredictable ways. For example, burning styrofoam cups or plates creates a toxic styrene gas which damages the lungs and the central nervous system.
    
22. Don’t wear clothes or shoes while trying to dry them near a campfire. Rubber soles melt. Clothes burn. Use common sense.
    
23. Check moisture levels of the ground and area around the fire. If there hasn’t been any rain in a few weeks, your fire circle will be dry and arid. Limit the size of the fire to as small an area as possible to maintain control. Or consider not lighting a campfire at all.
    
24. And the most critical campfire safety tip? USE COMMON SENSE. Think before you burn.
    

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