How to Start a Fire

Reader Contribution by Arkansas Girl
Published on November 29, 2013
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The title may sound trivial, but if you’re in a cold house and in desperate need of warmth, these tips may help. Now, when I mention starting a fire, I’m not referring to the wild fires our eccentric neighbor started that burned up half the world, neither am I referring to those destructive ones that destroy peoples’ property, houses or lives or those that simply fill the house with smoke … and that’s all. So, don’t smoke in the wilderness lest you burn up our much needed trees and forest’s wood.

Fires were most important to us the year around. In winter as well as summer, the old-fashioned wood stove was used for cooking and boiling water for washing or bathing. In the winter, the heater (or fireplace) was used to warm the house or dry our socks (for school the next day) that had frozen on the clothes lines. So, a fire isn’t something to take casually.

There are different kinds of fires, but I’ll start with the one my dad built in the pecan orchard. This one was comprised of sticks, wood, paper, or any useless items that would burn, make a good blaze and give us a brief reprieve from the outside cold.

The second fire is the trash-burning one. This one had to be burned in a large 100-gallon barrel or if on the ground in a space that had been cleared away of any grass or other items that might spread beyond where it should be contained. This kind of burning also consisted of autumn leaves and any other debris from the yard that could be burned. There wasn’t anything really methodical about this fire. Once we piled everything together, we stuck a match underneath the pile … and up and away it went.

We also built fires that kept mosquitoes away. In an old bucket or large metal dish pan, we’d place some old, raggedy clothing. Once the fire was started (from underneath) and had burned the clothing just a little bit, we’d smother it out. We didn’t need the flames so we dispensed with them. The smoke was what we wanted, because the smell became a “poison” that suffocated the mosquitoes and kept them at bay. Never heard of that one? Well, it’s an old home remedy for those pesky, little blood suckers.

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