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Fire Building Fundamentals for Emergency Situations

Quick Summary​

Building a fire is one of the most critical skills for emergency situations. Whether you're dealing with a power outage, stranded in your car, or camping off-grid, fire provides warmth, cooking capability, water purification, and psychological comfort.

Why This Matters​

Fire can make the difference between a manageable situation and a dangerous one. During the 2021 Texas freeze, many people without power relied on fireplaces and wood stoves for warmth and cooking. Car breakdowns in winter become life-threatening without heat. Even during summer camping trips, fire provides safety, hot food, and a way to purify questionable water.

Fire serves multiple purposes:

  • Warmth and comfort during cold weather or power outages
  • Cooking and food preservation when kitchen appliances aren't available
  • Water purification by boiling contaminated water sources
  • Signaling for help - smoke is visible for miles
  • Protection from wildlife - most animals avoid fire
  • Light source when flashlights fail or batteries die
  • Psychological boost - fire provides comfort and normalcy in stressful situations

Understanding Fire Basics​

The Fire Triangle​

Every fire needs three elements (the "fire triangle"):

  1. Fuel - material that burns (wood, paper, gas)
  2. Oxygen - air circulation to feed the flames
  3. Heat - initial energy to start combustion

Remove any one element and the fire goes out. Understanding this helps you build better fires and troubleshoot problems.

How Fire Actually Works​

Fuel doesn't burn directly. When you apply heat to wood or paper, it produces flammable gases. These gases mix with oxygen and burn, creating the flames you see. This is why wet wood won't burn well - the moisture prevents gas production.

Choosing Your Fire Location​

Before striking a match, select your site carefully:

Look For:​

  • Dry ground protected from wind
  • Near your shelter but not too close (minimum 10 feet)
  • Available fuel supply - gather materials before starting
  • Safe clearance - away from overhanging branches or dry grass

Site Preparation​

  1. Clear the area: Remove flammable material in a 3-foot circle
  2. Scrape to bare soil: Remove leaves, grass, and debris
  3. Build a fire ring: Use rocks or dig a shallow depression
  4. Consider wind direction: Position to direct smoke away from your area
Fire Safety

Never use wet or porous rocks for fire rings - they can explode when heated. Avoid river rocks, sandstone, or any stone that feels damp.

Special Situations​

Snow-covered areas: Build a platform of green logs to prevent melting snow from drowning your fire.

Windy conditions: Dig a Dakota fire hole - a underground fireplace with a ventilation tunnel that conceals flames and reduces wind effects.

Need for concealment: Use the Dakota fire hole method for a low-profile fire that's harder to spot.

Fire Materials: The Three-Stage System​

Successful fires require materials in three sizes, added in sequence:

Tinder (Pencil-lead thin)​

Purpose: Catches the initial spark or flame Requirements: Absolutely dry, ignites easily

Best options:

  • Birch bark (peels off in paper-thin sheets)
  • Cedar bark (shred the inner bark)
  • Dry grass bundles
  • Paper or cardboard
  • Lint from clothes dryer
  • Char cloth (cotton heated until black)

Modern alternatives:

  • Petroleum jelly cotton balls
  • Commercial fire starters
  • Alcohol prep pads
  • Wax-soaked cardboard

Kindling (Pencil to finger thickness)​

Purpose: Builds heat to ignite larger fuel Requirements: Dry, burns quickly and hot

Good choices:

  • Small dry twigs and sticks
  • Wood shavings or pencil-thin splits
  • Fatwood (resin-rich pine)
  • Small strips of wood from inside larger pieces
  • Bamboo shavings

Fuel (Finger thickness to wrist thickness)​

Purpose: Sustains the fire long-term Requirements: Burns steadily once lit

Options:

  • Dry standing wood (dead branches still on trees)
  • Seasoned firewood
  • Inside wood from fallen logs (outer wood may be wet)
  • Split green wood (exposes dry interior)
  • Compressed logs or manufactured fire logs

Fire Building Methods​

Tepee Fire (Best All-Around Method)​

When to use: General purpose, works well even with damp wood

  1. Make a tinder nest in the center
  2. Build a small tepee of kindling around the tinder
  3. Build a larger tepee of fuel wood around the kindling
  4. Light the tinder from multiple sides if possible
  5. As the structure burns, it collapses inward, feeding the fire

Lean-To Fire (Good for Windy Conditions)​

When to use: When you need wind protection

  1. Push a green stick into the ground at 30-degree angle
  2. Point the stick into the wind
  3. Place tinder under the lean-to stick
  4. Lean kindling against the stick over the tinder
  5. Add larger fuel as the fire grows

Cross-Ditch Fire (Maximum Airflow)​

When to use: When materials are slightly damp

  1. Dig a cross pattern 12 inches across, 3 inches deep
  2. Place tinder in the center intersection
  3. Build a small pyramid of kindling over the tinder
  4. The ditches provide airflow from multiple directions

Pyramid Fire (Overnight Burning)​

When to use: When you need a fire that burns unattended

  1. Lay two logs parallel on the ground
  2. Place a layer of smaller logs across them
  3. Add 3-4 more layers, each smaller and perpendicular to the layer below
  4. Build a starter fire on top
  5. As it burns down through the layers, it feeds itself

Ignition Methods​

Modern Methods​

Waterproof matches: Always your first choice - reliable and fast

  • Store in waterproof container with extra striker
  • Consider storm matches for wind resistance

Lighter: Backup option, but fuel can run out or freeze

  • Butane lighters work better in cold than disposables
  • Keep warm in inside pocket during winter

Fire steel (ferrocerium rod): Excellent emergency backup

  • Works when wet, produces 3000°F sparks
  • Strike with knife blade or striker
  • Aim sparks directly into tinder

Magnifying glass: Works only in bright sunlight

  • Focus sun's rays into smallest possible point on tinder
  • Hold steady until tinder begins smoking
  • Works with reading glasses, camera lenses, binoculars

Primitive Methods (When Modern Tools Fail)​

Flint and steel: Requires carbon steel (not stainless)

  • Strike sharp flint against steel to produce sparks
  • Catch sparks in char cloth or fine tinder
  • Blow gently to encourage flame

Bow drill: Time-intensive but reliable

  • Requires hardwood drill, softwood fire board, bow, tinder
  • Creates ember through friction, transfer to tinder bundle
  • Takes practice - prepare materials and technique beforehand

Fire plow: Friction method using groove and shaft

  • Cut groove in softwood base
  • Plow hardwood shaft rapidly up and down groove
  • Hot wood particles ignite tinder placed at end

Lighting Your Fire​

  1. Gather all materials first - tinder, kindling, and fuel ready
  2. Light from upwind side so flames spread naturally
  3. Start small - get tinder burning before adding kindling
  4. Build gradually - add kindling once tinder is flaming
  5. Add fuel slowly - don't smother the growing fire
  6. Blow gently if flames seem weak (adds oxygen)

Common Mistakes​

  • Mistake: Adding fuel too quickly

  • Why it's wrong: Smothers the flame by blocking airflow

  • Instead: Add one piece at a time, wait for it to catch

  • Mistake: Using wet or green materials

  • Why it's wrong: Moisture prevents combustion and creates smoke

  • Instead: Gather materials from dry, dead sources or split wet wood to expose dry interior

  • Mistake: Building fire too large initially

  • Why it's wrong: Wastes materials and creates fire hazard

  • Instead: Start small and build up gradually

  • Mistake: Poor site preparation

  • Why it's wrong: Fire can spread or be extinguished by conditions

  • Instead: Clear area properly and consider environmental factors

Fire Safety and Maintenance​

Keeping Your Fire Going​

  • Bank coals at night by covering with ash (reduces oxygen, preserves heat)
  • Keep dry fuel ready - gather extra during daylight
  • Maintain proper size - bigger isn't always better
  • Monitor constantly - never leave fire unattended

Extinguishing Safely​

  • Pour water slowly while stirring ashes
  • Stir and add more water until no steam rises
  • Feel for heat with your hand near (not touching) ashes
  • Scatter cold ashes if completely extinguished
caution

Never leave a fire unattended, even for short periods. Wind can scatter sparks and start wildfires miles away.

Modern Alternatives and Gear​

While traditional fire building is essential knowledge, modern tools can make the process easier:

  • Waterproof matches: Storm-proof matches work in wind and wet conditions
  • Fire steel: Ferrocerium rods produce reliable sparks even when wet
  • Commercial tinder: Wetfire cubes, fatwood sticks, or petroleum jelly cotton balls
  • Portable fire stoves: Alcohol or wood-burning stoves for controlled heat
  • Emergency heat sources: Hand warmers or Sterno cans for temporary heat

When NOT to Build a Fire​

Sometimes conditions make fire dangerous or inadvisable:

  • Fire restrictions in drought areas or high fire danger

  • Lack of ventilation in confined spaces (carbon monoxide risk)

  • Extremely windy conditions that could spread flames

  • When trying to remain unnoticed - smoke and light are visible from far away

  • Near flammable materials you can't clear safely

  • Before this: Shelter Building Basics

  • After this: Cooking Over Open Fire

  • Related: Water Purification Methods

Source

Adapted from Field Manual FM-3-05.70

Last updated: January 18, 2026