When the time comes to lighting the fire again, you want to do it perfectly! Fires can be quite temperamental and to be able to light one and keep it roaring is a talent.
It often takes a bit of practice to get the hang of lighting a traditional fire, but once you’ve got it, it’s a skill that can be used on multiple occasions.
When lighting a fire at home, there are a few things you’ll need to get it going! The main items you’ll need are:
- Kindling (Paper and Wood)
- Fire Lighters
- Logs (Big and Small)
- Good Oxygen Circulation
- Coke
The kindling can be things such as scrunched up paper or pieces of wood that have been cut up specifically to be kindling. For the best results use both! Scrunch up a few sheets of newspaper and then place the pieces of wood around the paper to allow it to form a tipi. Setting it up like this enables the fire to be contained and encourages it to grow. If the fire struggles to light or goes out too quickly, you can use things called ‘fire lighters’. They are little fuel tablets that help ignite a fire; they can replace kindling or can help start the fire.
As the fire builds, you’re going to want to start putting the logs on, start small to allow them to catch and as it starts to get going put on a larger log. If you have closed doors on your fire, you should bear in mind the amount of oxygen that can get in. When the fire is starting, have all the vents open to help the fire catch and then when the fire is stable, close the vents to half way to enable it to grow. Wood burning fires are relatively easy to get started, they produce a lot of heat and fill your home with warmth.
When your fire has reached temperature, or you want it to go out slowly, then you can put coke on it. Coke will not catch fire; instead, it will absorb the heat and maintain the warmth of the fire while producing a mesmerising glow.