BUILDING A SIMPLE FIRE

Tinder: Easy-to-burn fine material such as shredded dry bark

Kindling: matchstick-thick twigs

Fuel: thumb-thick twigs

Matches

Choose a fire site, and clear the ground to expose bare earth. Build a hearth by placing your thumb-thickness fuel twigs side by side. Kneel by the fire to protect it from the wind. Now pile the kindling on top of the hearth, propped up in a tent shape. Then put the tinder in the gap in the kindling tent. Strike a match, shielding the flame from the wind, and light the tinder. If it’s slow to burn, blow on it gently to add more oxygen. It should now ignite your kindling, and from there the hearth twigs. This is a good quick fire, and can become a bigger one if you add more fuel. Other fire layouts may be better for purposes such as heating, however.