Whether you have chosen a bonfire or a fire pit for your outdoor fire, you have to manage it properly.
Whether you have chosen a bonfire or a fire pit for your outdoor fire, you have to manage it properly. Fire hazards are always present, so fire safety should be your top priority. Here is some fantastic advice for how to properly manage an outdoor fire.
Properly Lighting an Outdoor Fire
Before you can light your fire, be sure you have found a safe place to set it up. Make sure you have everything you need for it, too. Along with location and equipment, the weather conditions should be accounted for as well. Ensure the wind isn’t too high, and also move anything potentially flammable out of the reach of the fire. How can you tell the wind is too high for an outdoor fire? Watch the trees and see if they are being blown around by the wind. You can also look at the pebbles and twigs on the ground. If they are being thrown around, the wind is too high. However, if the wind is low enough that it is safe to continue, here’s how you properly light the fire:
- Lighting a bonfire: Take a long stick and coat it in charcoal lighter fluid. Use a match or a lighter to ignite the end of the stick. Make sure the lid on the lighter fluid is secure before you put it away. If the lid is tight enough, you can keep lighter fluid vapors from escaping and coming too close to the open fire.
- Lighting a fire pit: Unlike a bonfire, you don’t need lighter fluid for a fire pit. All you need to get the fire going is a fire starter stick. Just make sure the fire starter stick has some kindling on it. Crumple some paper and crush some twigs to provide a base for the fire. Use a match or lighter to start the fire, and once it begins to feed on the kindling, add wood chips to keep it alive.
- Avoiding gasoline: You should never use gasoline or other types of volatile fuel to relight any wood fires! Doing so is extremely dangerous.
Keeping the Fire Lit
Once you have the fire started, fire safety becomes even more important. To keep the fire lit at safe levels, you should remember the following tips:
- Don’t over-feed the fire, but keep it at a gentle, slow burn. You should also keep the fire to a size you can control – after all, you don’t want burning wood chips or flakes to come flying out!
- Don’t throw papers or trash into the fire. Adding these elements can cause the fire to spit sparks or throw out embers.
- Don’t cut wood from live trees to burn them. You should also avoid throwing household junk into your outdoor fire.
- Screen the fire to prevent the wind from spreading sparks, and keep a cover over the fire pit. The cover, especially if it is made of wire mesh, will prevent your kids or pets from falling into the fire. Wear gloves when handling the fire, and don’t wear loose or possibly flammable clothing when sitting around the fire.
- Most important of all – always keep an eye on the fire! Even if you have to run inside the house for something, leave someone outside to tend to the fire
Fire Safety Tips From Lehnhoff’s Landscaping
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