How to Light a Fire in a Fireplace

Nothing is quite as warming on a cold winter's day than a blazing fire in the fireplace. It warms the bones and brings out the thoughts of good times and being close to friends and family. It requires preparation to make a successful fire. There is also a science to making it catch and blaze up.

Things You'll Need

• Match
• Newspaper
• Kindling
• Wood

Instructions

1. Prepare the area for a fire. If the fireplace is still dirty from the last fire take the ashes out and empty them. Clear the hearth to make room for the next fire.

2. Gather together the ingredients for the fire. You will need logs for the fire, kindling and newspaper that will ignite and burn quickly and a match to start it all.

3. Prepare the base of the fire by placing two logs on each side of the fire. These will point from front to back on either side of where you are building the fire. This forms a funneling of fresh air to the coals of the fire. Next, wad up newspaper in the space between these logs.

4. Lay the kindling on top of the paper and arrange it to build into a teepee shape. Good kindling is thin twigs or shavings of dry lumber. These should catch quickly and burn with a lot of heat. As the fire consumes the kindling it will move to larger pieces of wood and build in size. A good mix of kindling is very small stuff progressing right up to about half the size of the normal logs you will be using.

5. Arrange the larger kindling in a criss-cross fashion over the teepee. Start wide and then on every other stacking move closer, until the kindling is built up into a pyre shape. Finally, place the larger logs on the top and the sides so that as the fire catches you can move them into the main part of the fire.

6. Make sure the flue is open or you will fill the house with smoke. Light the match. Hold the match to the base of the kindling to allow it to catch. Blow slightly at the base to heat the burning chips more and make it easier to catch the larger pieces on fire. As the flames build, allow the fire to establish itself. The worst thing you can do is add too much too fast. This will smother a fire. Once the flames are drawing air in at the base and the flames are going well, add the larger logs and sit back and enjoy.