Fire guides & articles

We have a comprehensive range of fire guides on our Outdoor Hub, from selecting a site & building a fire pit, to creating a spark & igniting a fire, to cooking and craft activities over a campfire – click here to see them.

This is a selection of articles on fire-making history, and guides to fire-building and fire-starting techniques.

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Fire making

Modern and primitive methods of lighting fires. Wikipedia.

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Firestarters

A selection of home-made fire starters as alternatives to matches or lighters, Love Outdoors.

Firewood: a start to finish guide

A comprehensive guide to sourcing & gathering, cutting & storing, seasoned wood & safety. Camping Cooks.

Cropped My Open Country light

How to build a campfire: the right way

Good guide covering prep, lighting, fire-building techniques & extinguishing. My Open Country (US).

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History of chemical matches

The chemistry of making fire using matches. ThoughtCo.

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How to make waterproof matches

Nicely illustrated guide to how to make matches waterproof. Wikihow.

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How to build a camp fire

Trip Savvy.

How to start a fire

Extended & indepth article by legendary outdoor authority Tom Brown Jr. Mother Earth News.

The Match

History, types and references about matches. Wikipedia.

Fire building

The five steps to fire-building & lighting, including preparing your area, making a spark & using a flint and steel. Ridgerunners – ‘for those who take to the woods & fields for work or play'.

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