This article was co-authored by Britt Edelen. Britt Edelen was an active member of his local Boy Scouts troop near Athens, Georgia from ages 8 to 16. As a Scout, he went on dozens of camping trips, learned and practiced many wilderness survival skills, and spent countless hours appreciating the great outdoors. In addition, Britt worked as a counselor for several summers at an adventure camp in his hometown, which allowed him to share his passion for and knowledge of the outdoors with others.
There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
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Sitting around a fire is one of the highlights of going camping. However, leaving your campsite before fully extinguishing the fire can start forest fires or burn another camper. For these reasons, it's important that you fully extinguish a fire when you're done with it. Luckily, you can safely extinguish your campfire with water, sand, or dirt.
Steps
Extinguishing a Campfire With Water
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1
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2Mix up the ashes and embers. Use a stick or shovel to mix up the ashes and embers into the soil. As you stir the remnants of the fire, you may uncover more red embers or burning wood which must be extinguished before you leave.[3]Advertisement
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3Scrape off the burnt parts on the sticks and logs. Use your stick or shovel to scrape off any partially burnt sticks or logs to ensure that they are fully extinguished. This may reveal more burning embers under the surface of the wood.[4]
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4Pour more water on the fire. After you've stirred the fire thoroughly, you'll want to add more water to it to extinguish any remaining embers that may have come off burning pieces of wood.[5]
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5Feel the logs and coals to make sure they aren't hot. Put your palms up next to logs and coals. If you don't feel any heat radiating off of them, you can touch them with your hands.[6]
- Any warm or hot pieces of your fire must be doused down with more water.
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6Repeat the steps until the fire is cool to the touch. Continue dousing the area and mixing the soot and embers to ensure that you've put out the fire fully. The fire is fully extinguished when it's completely cool to the touch.
- The rocks surrounding the fire should be cool to the touch when the fire is fully extinguished.
Smothering a Fire with Dirt or Sand
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1Wait until the fire dies down. Plan on leaving the campsite when your fire completely dies down. Do not add logs to your fire if you know you are leaving soon so that the fire can stop burning. If you need to extinguish the fire quickly, this is not an ideal method. Instead, use water to put out your fire.
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2Mix the ashes together with a stick or a shovel. Use a shovel or a long stick to poke the embers left over in the fire. Uncover large unburnt logs or sticks to make sure that there are no embers remaining under the ashes.
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3Stir dirt or sand into the embers. You just want enough dirt or sand to smother the embers and to extinguish the fire fully. Do not cover or bury the fire, as this could create a fire under the surface of the dirt that could reignite later and will make the sand or dirt incredibly hot.[7]
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4Touch the fire to make sure the fire has been put out. Put your hand a couple of inches away from the coals in the fire to make sure that it's cooled off. If it still feels warm, repeat the steps until the ashes are completely cooled.[8]
Expert Q&A
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QuestionDoes water put out fire?
Britt EdelenBritt Edelen was an active member of his local Boy Scouts troop near Athens, Georgia from ages 8 to 16. As a Scout, he went on dozens of camping trips, learned and practiced many wilderness survival skills, and spent countless hours appreciating the great outdoors. In addition, Britt worked as a counselor for several summers at an adventure camp in his hometown, which allowed him to share his passion for and knowledge of the outdoors with others.
Outdoor EducatorYes, but it's best to put the campfire out in sections, and take your time between sections since there will be a lot of smoke.
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QuestionHow do I put out a fire in a non-developed community?
Stephanie ThomasCommunity Answertake the oxygen away from the flame because fire needs oxygen. Either use a blanket or a tarp to smother the flame. The best method, in my opinion, is to kick or shovel dirt onto the fire. -
QuestionHow do I turn fire off without any tools like water?
Community AnswerYou can't turn it off, but you can wait for it to die down (be sure to watch it!) and then stomp on the ashes. You could also smother it with a fireproof blanket if you have one on hand. Don't pour other liquids besides water on it, you never know what could cause it to explode or grow.
References
- ↑ http://www.campfiredude.com/campfire-extinguish.shtml
- ↑ https://smokeybear.com/en/prevention-how-tos/campfire-safety/how-to-maintain-and-extinguish-your-campfire
- ↑ Britt Edelen. Outdoor Educator. Expert Interview. 7 February 2020.
- ↑ https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/okawen/alerts-notices/?cid=fsbdev3_053601
- ↑ https://snapguide.com/guides/put-out-a-campfire/
- ↑ http://www.gocampingaustraliablog.com/2012/12/do-you-know-how-to-put-out-campfire.html
- ↑ http://www.gocampingaustraliablog.com/2012/12/do-you-know-how-to-put-out-campfire.html
- ↑ https://www.backpacker.com/survival/how-to-put-out-a-fire-properly
About This Article
To put out a campfire quickly, start by filling a bucket with water and pouring it over the campfire until the hot embers stop hissing. Next, mix the ashes and embers into the soil, and pour more water on the fire to make sure you didn’t miss any embers. Once the logs appear cool, hover your hand over them to see if you can sense any heat. If not, then touch the logs and coals to make sure there are no remaining hot spots. If there are, then repeat the process to make sure you've fully extinguished your fire. To learn how to use sand and dirt to put out a campfire, keep reading!
