We all know the saying “only you can prevent wildfires.” For 80 years Smokey has been trying to teach us all fire lessons, so we make the best choices when it comes to preventing an unwanted fire. In 2024, according to the National Interagency Coordination Center Wildland Fire Summary and Statistics Annual Report 2024, 89.3% (57,962 individual fires) were human caused. These fires destroyed 4,666,553 acres. The largest fire was the Smokehouse Creek Fire in the Panhandle of Texas that burned 1,054,153 acres, which became the worst wildfire in Texas history.
Top Causes of Wildfires (in no particular order):
- Campfires left unattended / Not put out properly
- Burning of debris
- Equipment use or malfunction
- Negligently discarded cigarettes
- Intentional acts of arson
- Lightening
Probably the most common cause of wildfire by the masses is campfires. Because of this let’s learn Smokey’s lessons about Campfire Safety so you can make Smokey proud each time you make memories around the fire.
Smokey’s Four Steps for Campfire Safety:
- How to pick your campfire spot
- How to prepare your campfire pit
- How to build your campfire
- How to maintain and extinguish your campfire
How to Pick Your Campfire Spot
- Know the rules of the place you are recreating in.
- Do not build in dry or hazardous conditions.
- Use existing fire rings or pits if available.
- Keep site at least 15 feet from tents, trees, shrubs, and anything flammable.
- Choose an open and level space without leaves and debris.
- Don’t forget to take wind into account in space selection.
How to Prepare Your Campfire Pit
- Clear a 10-foot diameter area around the site.
- Dig pit in dirt about a foot deep.
- Circle pit with rocks.
How to Build Your Campfire
- Make sure you have water, bucket, and shovel near the campfire at all times.
- Gather your wood, getting options for tinder, kindling, and fuel. Note that you should never cut down whole trees or branches only pick up from the ground. Make sure to know the rules on this for the location you are recreating in.
- Pile a handful of tinder in the center of your pit.
- Add your kindles using one of four methods: teepee, lean-to, cross, or log cabin.
- Ignite your tinder.
- Add more tinder as your fire grows.
- Blow lightly at the base of the fire.
- Add kindling or fuel wood to keep your fire going.
- Keep fire small and under control.
How to Maintain and Extinguish Your Camp Fire
- Maintain
- Keep adding large dry pieces of wood to keep it burning steady.
- Never burn dangerous things.
- Keep fire to a manageable size.
- Never leave the campfire unattended and always watch kids and pets around it.
- Extinguish
- Allow wood to burn to ash if possible.
- Pour lots of water on the fire to drown all the embers, not just the red ones. Keep pouring until there is no more hissing.
- If you do not have water stir dirt or sand in embers and bury the fire.
- With shovel scrape any remainder logs or sticks to make sure all embers are put out.
- Continue to add water, dirt, or sand until all material is cool. Remember if it’s too hot to touch, it is too hot to leave.
I hope the above will have you better prepared the next time you decide to get your friends and family around a campfire for some good times. Make sure that Smokey is also having a good time!
🗑 Drop in the comments if you are part of Team Smokey.
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Until the next trail…
Coach RJ
References:
Smokey Bear. (n.d.). Campfire Safety. https://smokeybear.com/en/prevention-how-tos/campfire-safety
Smokey Bear. (n.d.). How to Pick Your Campfire Spot. https://smokeybear.com/en/prevention-how-tos/campfire-safety/how-to-pick-your-campfire-spot
Smokey Bear. (n.d.). How to Prepare Your Campfire Pit. https://smokeybear.com/en/prevention-how-tos/campfire-safety/how-to-prepare-your-campfire-pit
Smokey Bear. (n.d.). How to Build Your Campfire. https://smokeybear.com/en/prevention-how-tos/campfire-safety/how-to-build-your-campfire
Smokey Bear. (n.d.). How to Maintain & Extinguish Your Campfire. https://smokeybear.com/en/prevention-how-tos/campfire-safety/how-to-maintain-and-extinguish-your-campfire
National Park Service. (n.d.). Wildfire Causes and Evaluations. https://www.nps.gov/articles/wildfire-causes-and-evaluation.htm
National Interagency Fire Center. (n.d.). National Interagency Coordination Center Wildland Fire Summary and Statistics Annual Report 2024. https://www.nifc.gov/sites/default/files/NICC/2-Predictive%20Services/Intelligence/Annual%20Reports/2024/annual_report_2024.pdf
Photo Credit:
Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/forest-on-fire-51951/
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