Fire 101

A good campfire is something that can never be missing from an enjoyable and successful camping trip, campfires themselves are synonymous with camping and sleeping in the wild. For many of us, the first memories we have of camp and camping involve a gooey marshmallow or perhaps a charred smokey sausage on a stick roasting over a fire. After all, some of the best meals, moments, and memories I've had were around a campfire.

For centuries, native and primitive civilizations, hunters, explorers, settlers, fur trappers and outdoors men have been lighting fires outdoors for a multitude of reasons. Fire has the ability of providing us not only with light and warmth, but more importantly, it gave early humans the ability to; cook and preserve food, sanitize water, the body and tools, modify their environment on a large scale (aid for agriculture in later ages), protect themselves from predators and later to wage war. It is without a doubt the single most important discovery of early humanity and has undeniably brought us to where we are today.

This post will provide a solid theoretical and empirical foundation of what a fire is and what it needs in order for it to be. Guides with detailed explanations of the techniques needed to start fires will be shared on future posts. This written piece is intended for expert and rookie campers alike and anyone interested in fire building, it should help solidify the concept of the Fire Triangle in the reader's mind as well as explain, and further break down the components of said triangle. 

So what is the fire triangle, and why do I need to know it?

The fire triangle is a concept that; helps us understand what fire is and how it can be created, what materials and conditions are required, and gives us a visual representation of what we need for fire. This concept states that in order for fire to exist it needs three components: heat, fuel, and oxygen. No fire can be started without any one of these components and it is these components that serve as the basis for the functional structure of a fire.

Think of the three components as corners to a triangle inside which a fire burns, lit only once the triangle is 'completed'/'closed'. If one corner is removed the triangle ceases to be and the fire goes out. Personally, it helps to picture the 2-D triangle as a 3-D tripod, a fire burns atop the tripod when all the components (supports/legs to the tripod) are present but collapses to the ground if one is removed.

Now that I have introduced the 'components of fire', lets break them down and talk about each one individually.

1) Oxygen - one shouldn't have a hard time finding this resource (if that is the case, then fire is not a priority). Try to start your fire in a well ventilated area where there is air circulation but avoid high winds, blowing into a dying fire or embers will add oxygen to the mix and (re)ignite the fuel (if heat is present).

2) Fuel - we can further break down this component into three categories; i) tinder, ii) kindling, iii) big wood/logs. All fuel categories are equally important and they form their own 'fuel triangle'. All three fuel sources; tinder, kindling and logs are needed for a successful fire. These three categories of fuel work in unison and have a specific order in which they work, these categories build on each other and, quite literally, are stacked one after the other. Kindling onto tinder and logs onto kindling. i) Tinder is the material that you first ignite with your heat source, whether it be natural or man made, your tinder should excel at 'catching a spark'. Usually tinder is be very dry and if possible fibrous in nature however, sometimes liquid fuels are also used as tinder. Tinder catches on fire quickly and burns easily but it is consumed fairly quickly. Once your tinder is lit, producing enough heat and has a flame, add kindling to the flame. ii) Kindling is the middle ingredient in the 'fuel triangle' (not to be confused with the Fire Triangle) and the middle man between tinder and logs. It is the kindling's job to burn, increase and concentrate the fire's temperature so that the logs, added in the final step, will burn. iii) Logs are the last fuel source to be added to any fire, they require a lot of heat to ignite but produce a lot of heat themselves and burn slowly. The fire should be producing enough heat from the tinder but mostly from the kindling before logs can be added.

3) Heat - any source that generates heat (lighter, sun and magnifying glass, flint and steel striker, ferrocerium rod, fire plow, etc). This component is heavily linked to gear and knowledge, I say it is the component with the most human involvement. What do I mean by this? Oxygen and fuel can be readily found outdoors in the field, whereas sources of heat not so much. We need to remember to bring our sources of heat with us and/or know, learn and practice how to generate heat from natural sources and primitive techniques (fire plow, bow drill). In keeping with the triangular motif here, and for survival/emergency preparedness reasons (two is one & one is none) I like to have three sources of heat/ignition with me (at least one waterproof source such as a ferro rod or storm matches) or at least two sources of ignition and the knowledge of a primitive technique.

It should be said that merely the presence of these components will not guarantee a hot, roaring fire. Just as important as knowing what to put into your fire is how much. For example, adding too much fuel can suffocate a fire (especially a starting fire) by blocking the wind/air and starving the flame of oxygen, additionally applying insufficient heat to some fuel types will prevent the fire from starting (trying to ignite logs and not tinder). Knowing the correct ratio of components is as important as knowing the components themselves and only with experience and practice will you know the correct ratio in different conditions.

I hope you enjoyed this piece as much as I enjoyed writing it. Hopefully you now understand the fire triangle concept better and feel more confident in your ability to start and maintain fires by manipulating heat, fuel and oxygen. For a more complete understanding, and to be prepared out in nature, remember the additional 'fuel triangle' as well as having  three sources of heat on you.

There is no better teacher than practice and no better classroom than the forest, so get out and light some fires!

[Please always check federal, provincial, and municipal laws and regulations regarding fire]

Stay safe and Happy Camping!