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once activated they will need to recharged with water or powder.

Lets do this the easy way… Gather wood up before it gets dark out, or buy a few bundles from the grocery store before you go to the party. Put the starter logs in a pile, add fire, and gradually add more wood on top once those have started to burn down. Don’t add too many at once- that will smother the fire. A general rule of thumb is to wait until everything has at least started to burn before adding more wood. Just keep throwing logs on, and your fire should go all night.

Heres another trick for you.. If it starts to go out, CAREFULLY toss on some lamp oil or citronella. Do NOT use gasoline. Gasoline will flare up and burn anyone too close to the fire. The person throwing it generally looses at least their bangs and eyebrows, so just don’t do it.

Check with your town before you have your fire- in many places, its illegal to have a fire without a permit, and you can get hit with a stiff fine for doing it.

I have never started a fire at the beach, but I start lots of campfires. If it is a metal fire ring, you have to make sure there is enough airflow. Prop up the bottom of the ring with a rock or piece of wood so air can get in from the bottom.Fire needs fuel (wood), spark (match),and air. The wood should not be big gigantic logs, you need a lot of little stuff, smaller than your arm and not roung logs, split wood is much better. The fire can’t catch hold onto round logs. Put a few pieces of wood in a “A” shape on the bottom, add something like paper or fire starters to the middle, add a lot of little wood and then light. I think liquid charcoal lighter smells bad and makes food taste bad I don’t use it. Add wood slowly, good luck.

You can cook over almost any wood except the pine species. Pine will spit and pop and will flavor your food as the “turpentine” burns off. Best bet is oak since it is slow burning and plentiful.

There is a firewood guy in my area who sells me pickup truck loads of wood especially cut to length for my outdoor fire pit and chiminea. I’ll bet you can find the same in your area.

Good luck with your firepit.

I like talking about the fire triangle with children because it is easier for them to understand. Sometimes they do not understand what a tetrahedron is, or they can’t wrap their mind around the “chemical chain reaction.”

So in short, I would say they are both very useful, and it is never wrong to try an educate the public on fire safety!