Did You Know?
- About 200,000 hectares of forest are burned each year - that's almost 375,000 football fields!
- Forest fires can cost millions of dollars to put out.
- Campfires cause a lot of these forest fires.
If you're going camping or plan to have a campfire, follow these tips so you can enjoy your campfire safely:
1. Choose a Site
- Pick a site that is close to a water source and sheltered from the wind.
- Build your fire on a rock surface or bare dirt.
- Build your fire at least 3 metres away from logs, stumps, trees and overhanging branches.
- Build your fire 15 metres away from buildings or tents.
2. Prepare the Site
- Clear a space (about 2 metres wide) where the fire will be.
- Make sure you remove pine needles, grass, leaves and twigs.
- Scrape the area right down to the soil.
- Be sure you have a pail of water and a shovel to control the fire.
3. Build Your Campfire
- Keep your fire small - it shouldn't be bigger than 1 metre high and 1 metre wide.
- Small fires are safer, easier to control and easier to put out.
- A small fire will also keep your cooking tools from blackening and will let you get close enough to cook.
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Kindling
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| Adding Wood |
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| Lighting the Fire |
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| What your campfire should look like |
4. Stay Nearby
- Never leave a campfire unattended.
- If you start a campfire, you are responsible for tending the fire, ensuring it is kept under control and extinguishing it.
Enjoy Your Campfire
Then...Put it Out!
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| 1. Drown the fire with water. |
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| 2. Stir the ashes with a stick to uncover hot coals. |
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| 3. Pour water over it a second time. |
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4. Hold your hand above it to make sure that the ashes have cooked.
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Don't leave the site until you are sure the fire is completely out. 
