Building the Fire Ring
Look around in the area where you plan to build your fire. Locate stones or rocks of any size to be used to form a ring around the space where you are going to build your fire.
The size of the stone ring is going to be dependent on the size or purpose of the fire you are going to build. A cooking fire does not need to be that big and an 18” to 24” diameter fire ring will be suitable for this type of fire. If you are building a fire for heat, light and conversation you will need a larger fire ring of 36” or more in diameter. The entire fire pit needs to be ringed to prevent the fire from leaving the designated spot.
Grass and leaves burn and these items are not fully removed from the area this can cause the fire to leave the pit area if it is not fully ringed.
Putting Out a Fire
It is just as important to know how to put out a fire as it is to know how to start one. When you are done, sprinkle water on the fire (don’t pour). Stir the fire with a stick and then sprinkle more water on it. This may take a lot of water if the fire is real hot or the wood has just been reduced to coals. When you think the coals are out, starting from the edge of the fire pit, pour water into the fire pit and stir it well, making sure that all the coals are “dead” or cold. Unless you have built the fire in an established fire pit, the ashes should then be buried in your latrine or garbage hole. Remember a good camper leaves his site better than he found it. This certainly applies to fire sites also.
The Council Fire or Box Fire
As you can see in Figure 1, the Council fire is made of criss-crossed logs built over a Teepee fire. It gives off a great amount of heat and light.