Campfire Safety

S’mores, singalongs, and friends down by the fire – it’s hard to beat these camping traditions. It’s also hard to deny the responsibility that comes with making a campfire. Learn how to build, control and extinguish your campfire with the safety precautions below.

Campfire Safety Checklist

• Check For Restrictions Before Building a Campfire: Contact the campground office, park rangers, and your local fire department for any restrictions.
• Use Designated Fire Pits: If campfires are permitted, select a location that is downwind and away from your tent. Clear all vegetation and use a designated pit — or dig a small pit and surround it with rocks.
• Don’t Build Fires with Rocks from the Water: Use only dry rocks since the moisture inside waterlogged rocks can cause them to boil and explode.
• Never Use Gas to Start a Campfire: Don’t use any flammable or combustible liquids. And keep your campfire small, so it’s easier to control.
• Never Leave a Fire Unattended: Don’t let kids play anywhere near a campfire. Always extinguish it prior to leaving the campsite or before you go to sleep.
• Take Precautions to Avoid a Wildfire: Dry vegetation can quickly spark into a fire, so do not discard lit cigarettes or matches on the ground or into vegetation.

• Keep Dirt and/or Water Nearby to Extinguish the Campfire: For emergency use, pack a fire extinguisher with your camping gear. Select a multipurpose extinguisher that is large enough to put out a small fire (but not so heavy that it’s difficult to handle).
• Use Only Battery-Operated Equipment Inside the Tent: Never use liquid-filled heaters or lanterns, matches, candles, open flames or a barbecue grill inside a tent as they can produce deadly carbon monoxide (CO) gas.
• Pack a Portable CO Alarm and Fire Extinguisher: Bring along added peace of mind with safety devices you can take on-the-go. Kidde offers convenient Battery Powered CO Alarm and a variety of multipurpose fire extinguishers, including the Auto/Marine Fire Extinguisher.
• Monitor Safety Back Home with Mobile Alerts: Keep tabs on what’s going on while you’re away with real-time notifications sent via the Kidde app. Choose from an entire suite of smart home safety devices, detecting smoke, carbon monoxide, water leaks, frozen pipes, and indoor air quality issues.
• Recommended Fire Extinguishers: Wherever you go, Kidde is here to help you choose the right types of fire extinguishers and properly install and maintain the right solution.