One-Match Fire

1. 1

   Clear a fire circle

   Sweep a 3-foot circle down to bare dirt. Ring it with rocks if you have them.

2. 2

   Gather three sizes of wood

   Tinder (dry grass, birch bark, cotton fluff), kindling (twigs), fuel (finger-thick sticks). Keep them in three separate piles.

3. 3

   Check for dry

   Snap a stick. If it bends, it's wet. Dry wood snaps clean with a crack.

4. 4

   Build a teepee

   Tinder ball in the center. Lean kindling around it like a tiny tent. Leave a doorway facing away from the wind.

5. 5

   Strike the match on the sheltered side

   Touch the flame to the tinder, not the wood. Blow gently at the base once it catches.

6. 6

   Feed it small to big

   Add kindling one piece at a time as flames grow. Only add fuel wood once kindling is fully lit.

7. 7

   Put it out completely

   Water. Stir with a stick. More water. If it's cool enough to touch the ash, it's out.

safety · Never light a fire alone, indoors, or on a windy day. Do this with a grown-up on cleared dirt or in a fire pit. Drown it, stir it, drown it again before walking away.