Guide · Fire

Putting out a campfire

A campfire that looks dead can still hide embers hot enough to start a wildfire hours later. Putting it out properly takes time, so start well before you leave or go to sleep.

Drown, stir, feel

1. Let it burn down. Stop adding wood about an hour before you want it out, so it burns down to ash.
2. Drown it. Pour water slowly over the whole fire, not just the glowing parts. Expect lots of steam and hissing. Stand back and keep your face clear.
3. Stir it. Use a stick or shovel to mix the ashes and embers with the water. Turn over larger pieces of wood and scrape the wet ash off them.
4. Drown it again. Add more water until the hissing stops completely.
5. Feel it. Hold the back of your hand close above the ashes, without touching. If you feel any warmth, add more water and stir again. When it's cool enough, carefully touch the ashes. It should be cold all the way through.

Only leave once everything is cold to the touch.

If you have little water

• Mix in soil or sand, and stir thoroughly so it covers every ember.
• Keep stirring and adding soil until there's no heat.
• Don't just bury the fire. Embers can stay hot under soil for many hours and start a fire later, especially in peat or near roots.

Larger logs

Spread large pieces out, soak them on all sides and scrape off the burning outer layer. Don't leave a log smouldering.

Before you go

• Check around the fire for sparks that may have landed outside the ring.
• Scatter cold ashes, replace any turf you cut and make the site look as natural as you can.
• Take away any rubbish. Don't leave foil or food in the ashes.

If a fire gets out of control

• If it's small, smother it with soil, sand or a jacket, or beat it with a green branch, working from the edges.
• If it's spreading and you can't control it within seconds, leave immediately. Fire spreads fastest uphill and with the wind, so don't try to outrun it up a slope or downwind. Move across the slope and away from it, towards bare ground, rock, water or areas that have already burnt.
• Call your local emergency number (112 in Europe and many other countries, 911 in North America) as soon as you can.

If clothing catches fire

Stop, drop to the ground and roll to smother the flames, covering your face with your hands. Then cool any burn with cool running water for at least 20 minutes.

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