Campfire cautions are prudent

Campfires are an important part of the outdoor scene. Time spent around the fire will be remembered for a lifetime. However, besides the three essential components of fire; heat, fuel and oxygen, common sense is necessary to produce a safe campfire.

We are heading into the fire season folks. Some would say we are already there and have been for some time with several wildfires still burning across the country. It's usually this time or a bit later when campfires are banned in parts or most of Eastern Washington.

At times, campfires are allowed only in established campgrounds. Even if this is so, the fire should be maintained with common sense. I have seen fires with flames reaching 10 feet into the night sky. This is totally unnecessary.

The Washington State Department of National Resources recommends keeping a campfire to a maximum of three-feet wide. The three-foot rule is OK, but there is seldom a time when I need a fire so large. Such an evening or morning fire is not necessary for warmth, but rather for atmosphere and mood while camping.

An example is a group of four families, friends from the Seattle area, camping at Potholes State Park. They brought a lot of split wood and maintained a campfire 80 percent of the time they were in camp. It wasn't an overly large fire, but perhaps two-feet wide and, at times, three-feet high.

"We don't care if it is 100 degree out, we always have a fire," one of them said.

Campfires can get out of hand fast and we all need to be aware of this fact, passing along this necessary information to our youth. During a state-wide Boy Scout jamboree when I was a youth, our troop joined others at the parade ground in the morning. When we returned two hours later, a large part of the camping area, downwind of our camp, had burned with many tents and equipment destroyed. A fire left unattended was the cause. The experience of seeing the destruction was a lesson for me.

About 15 years ago I linked up with friends in the sand dunes near Beverly. Our goal was to fish the nearby lakes. We all caught several fish and enjoyed a great evening meal. The time around the campfire was filled with much talk and laughter. We went to bed with calm winds and only glowing embers remaining of what was a low-intensity fire.

My friend woke me up and we watched embers from the fire flying past the tent, resembling glowing meteors entering the earth's atmosphere.

We joined the others to put out the campfire as 20 miles per hour winds fanned the flames. Luck was with us as there was no fuel for a fire in our area, only sand dunes. I have never left even a small fire or glowing embers to go to bed since then.

The state Department of Natural Resources offers the following tips to prevent campfires from getting out of hand: Keep a shovel and a bucket of water close at hand when a campfire is burning.

Never leave a fire unattended. The fire must be attended at all times by a person who will be able to extinguish it quickly. When it is time to put the fire out, use water and then stir the coals to cool it down, repeating the process until the fire is cold.

Dutch Oven Dome

Dutch oven enthusiasts use barbeque briquettes to heat their ovens. When fires are not allowed, the briquettes are also not allowed. Gas camp stoves are the solution, but it is not wise to place a Dutch Oven directly on a gas burner.

The answer is to use the Camp Chef Dutch Oven Dome. A round steel plate, called a flame-tamer, is placed over the burner. The oven is placed on the plate, with the legs causing the bottom of the oven to be above the plate.

Next the dome, made of a flame-resistant cloth is placed over the oven. The heat travels around the oven inside the dome and goes out the top hole. The result is similar to a convection oven. Any meal a Dutch oven cook is able to prepare with briquettes is also possible with the Dome.

Cause of wildfires

Fish and Wildlife states about 85 percent of wildfires are caused by people. As a result fire restrictions are put in place when the danger is high. Even hunting seasons have been closed because of high fire danger.

Campfires are not the only cause of wildfires. All-terrain Vehicles can cause a fire if they travel through dry grass. Woodcutting may be restricted to reduce the chance of sparks igniting dry vegetation.

Other causes of wildfires include magnified sunlight from broken glass, tossed cigarettes and fireworks. I'm surprised more fires aren't started because of broken glass.

The pledge

Consider teaching the youth in your family about wildfire prevention and encourage them to take the Smokey Bear Pledge:

"I pledge to: Be smart whenever I go outdoors, to use caution and common sense before lighting any fire, to understand that any fire I or my friends create could become a wildlife, to understand and practice proper guidelines whenever I or my friends create a fire outdoors, to never, ever leave any fire unattended, to make sure any fire that I or my friends create is properly and completely extinguished before moving on, to properly extinguish and discard of smoking materials, to be aware of my surroundings and be careful when operating equipment during periods of dry or hot weather, and to speak up and step in when I see someone in danger of starting a wildfire."