outdoor fireplace?

Ok you guys.....I have never lit a fire in my life! But I just bought an outdoor fireplace - so I need some info - best way to start a fire, keep it going, put it out, what do I do with ashes???? Can I use those firestarter logs???

Public Comments

1. Congratulations. I added one myself last year, this is a wonderful way to relax. The most well-known method to starting a fire is the fire-building approach used by the Boy Scouts, utilizing layers of combustible materials. First, at the base, crumple several sheets of newspaper. Pile on top of the newspaper dry twigs or kindling (no larger than ¼” diameter). As you continue building upward, use split pieces of wood, continually increasing the size of the pieces and stacking them in a crisscross manner. Using a match, light the newspaper at the bottom. The newspaper will light the smallest pieces of kindling which will ultimately light the larger pieces on top. When you have a nice bed of hot coals, add full un-split pieces of dry hardwood. As long as you have a bed of hot coals, you can simply rebuild the fire by adding whole pieces of wood. Aside from paper and small kindling, there are other natural fire-starting aids on the market. 1) A natural byproduct of logging, “fatwood” is a natural accelerant harvested from the stump of a pine tree several years after the tree was cut. An 8” long piece (at 1/2” diameter) easily lights with a match and will burn with a hot fire for approximately 20 minutes. A few pieces of fatwood can ignite a pile of firewood very effectively. 2) Similar to artificial fire logs, “compressed sawdust starters” are made of highly flammable sawdust molded with a flammable binder. These also light easily and will provide enough heat to create a fire.
2. OMG that guy's answer is long 1. get a fisrestarter log 2. build a tee pee of logs around the firestarter log 3. if it falls keep on moving the logs back to the tee pee shape 4. Pour water to extinguish 5. you can build another fire right there w/out cleaning, eventually you can put the COLD ashes in a bag.
3. Fat wood, more properly, is called rich lighter pine. Pine trees produce natural turpentine. Lighter pine is full of this flammable stuff and works great to get a fire going. As for putting the fire out, just let it burn itself out. It'll naturally run out of fuel and die down by itself. What to do with the ashes? After they've cooled throw them in your compost pile. The fire starter logs are convenient and can naturally be used.