How To Start a Fire in a Fire Pit in 3 Simple Steps

Nothing beats gathering around a backyard fire pit with family and friends and enjoying the glow of fire on a cool summer evening. But for your fire to be truly enjoyable, you must know how to start it safely and easily.

Luckily, starting a fire isn’t as difficult as it seems. With the right supplies and a few simple steps, you can start a fire that will keep you and your company cozy and warm. In this post, we’ll walk you through the steps necessary to start a fire in a fire pit in three easy steps. You’ll be ready to gather around the fire in no time.

Gathering Supplies

The first step in starting a fire is to gather all of the supplies you will need. You’ll need enough wood to keep it going for as long as you want. A good rule of thumb is to purchase about twice what you think you’ll need. This will give you enough fuel while also accounting for some potential sputtering of the flames.

A lighter is an easy and reliable way to light your fire. It works quickly and lets you control when and how much of the wood ignites. If your lighter fails, it’s always good to have a backup plan, such as matches. Matches burn hotter than lighters and are also an effective way to start your fire.

Preparing the Fire Pit

Now that you have gathered your supplies, it’s time to prepare the fire pit itself. First, remove your fire pit from flammable objects, such as furniture, or combustible materials, such as gasoline or oil. Ensure your fire pit is located on level ground and away from any shrubs or trees that could easily catch fire if too close to the flame. Also, be mindful of any overhanging branches, as these could ignite due to the flame’s heat.

Once the placement of your fire is decided, arrange your wood around the inside rim of the pit in a circular pattern. Place larger logs at the outside edges while leaving space between each log for air circulation (this helps create an even burn). Put smaller logs and kindling in the center and top with tinder (such as dry leaves or twigs)—this will act as your natural fire starter.

Lighting the Fire

Once you’ve prepared everything, it’s time to light the fire. Start by crumpling up some paper or using the tinder you collected earlier and pile it in the center of the wood circle. This becomes your natural fire starter that allows your flame to get big enough for larger pieces of wood to catch on fire more easily.

Use whatever method works best for you—whether it’s matches or a lighter—and ignite one corner of your paper or tinder pile until small flames appear on top of it and consume larger pieces of wood around it quickly (this should take about one minute). Keep feeding the flame by occasionally tossing some additional tinder onto it as needed until all logs are burning evenly around the perimeter.

Avoid using other items such as gasoline or kerosene; these accelerants can be dangerous and affect taste if you cook food over this flame later on. Once your larger logs are burning well, add more small logs gradually to maintain the desired temperature throughout your burn time—adjust accordingly depending on how hot or long-burning you would like your flame to be. This part is completely up to personal preference; have fun.