Campfire safety: how to build a fire and cook outdoors
How to light a fire safely and what to cook. A guide based on official advice. The same text is in the free SurvivalZone app and works without internet.
Where and when it's allowed
- In many European countries open fires in and near forests are only allowed at designated sites. Check the local rules first.
- Check the forest fire danger level. When it is high, skip the fire, even at a designated site.
- Light it on bare ground or in a stone ring, away from trees, dry grass and tents. Keep water or sand ready to put it out.
How to light it
- Prepare three kinds of fuel: tinder (dry pine needles, birch bark, shavings), pencil-thin kindling and thicker branches.
- Lay the tinder, build a small cone of kindling over it and light it from the side the wind is coming from.
- Add thicker wood gradually. Adding too much too fast smothers the fire.
- For wet weather, carry storm matches or a lighter and tinder in a waterproof bag.
Cooking
- Cook over embers, not flames. Embers give even heat and won't burn the food.
- Easiest: sausages and vegetables on a stick, potatoes wrapped in foil in the embers (about 40 minutes), bread dough twisted on a stick.
- Boil water from rivers or lakes for at least one minute before drinking.
- Cook meat through and keep raw meat away from cooked food.
Putting it out
- Drown the fire with water, stir the ashes and drown it again. The ashes must be cold to the touch.
- Never leave a fire unattended, even for a moment.
Watch out
- Never light a fire in a tent or under a tarp. It risks fire and carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Never use petrol or solvents to light a fire. The flash can cause burns.
See also
Frequently asked questions
Can I light a campfire in the forest?
In many countries only at designated fire sites. Check local rules and the current fire danger before lighting one.
How do I start a fire when everything is wet?
Look for dry tinder under spruce branches and in birch bark, use storm matches and add fuel gradually from the thinnest.
How do I put out a campfire?
Drown it with water, stir the ashes and drown it again until everything is cold to the touch, as the US Forest Service advises.
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Sources
- US Forest Service: campfires and fire safety
- US Forest Service / Smokey Bear: campfire safety
- US Army field manual FM 21-76 Survival (EverySpec archive)
- Polish Forest Act (art. 30: fires in and near forests, Polish)
- Polish State Forests: forest fire danger
- German Weather Service: forest fire danger index
Official sources are checked automatically every day. Last check: 2026-10-23.
General guidance only; it does not replace the emergency services. If a life is in danger, call 112.