The presence of fire is one of the basic conditions for survival in a difficult situation. A fire performs several functions at once. It keeps people warm and helps keep clothes and food supplies dry. Used for cooking. In the end, at night or in inclement weather, it is lighter from a fire and next to a source of heat and light it is psychologically easier to endure difficult natural conditions. Probably, the feeling of comfort from a fire comes from our distant past, when ancient people protected the fire and worshiped the fire. There are bonfires different types, based on your own characteristics of stacking firewood. Let's look at the types of fires.
Bonfire "Shalash"
Bonfire Hut is a simple type of fire. A hut fire is ideal for heating and cooking. It is quite simple to make and its design allows it to be lit fairly quickly. Actually, the name of the fire explains that the firewood for it needs to be laid out at an angle towards the fire source in the form of a hut. You should also understand that the burning rate of such a fire is quite high and you will need a significant amount of fuel. But the Bonfire “hut” allows you to quickly get maximum temperature combustion.
Bonfire "Chamomile"
“Chamomile”, also known as “snowflake, star” refers to light fires. It burns out for a long time, consumes less wood and fuel than a “hut” fire. It is better to make it from pine, oak, beech. The wood is gradually moved towards the center of the fire as it burns and burns. "Chamomile" is lower in height than "hut". It is convenient to cook on it.
Bonfire “House”, also known as “Hut”, “Well”
The “House” fire burns quickly, evenly and smoothly. It is very convenient; the military uses it for field kitchens. The fire is made of logs, which are stacked in pairs in the form of a log house.
Bonfire "Nodya"
The Nodya fire is often used for long night heating. You will need three dry logs with a diameter of about 20 centimeters and a length of 2 meters and fastening pegs. Two logs are stacked next to each other and reinforced with pegs driven in on all sides. The fire is lit in the center, between them. The third log is placed on top. You can alternate dry logs with wet ones, so they will dry out and gradually flare up. This complex species bonfires
Bonfire "Pit"
Bonfire “Pit” - provides a lot of coals, is invisible, does not require large quantity firewood The pit fire is suitable for shish kebab or barbecue. To build a “Polynesian” fire, you need to dig a hole, which is lined inside with bricks or stones. If you want to make such a fire invisible from the air, then light it under the canopy of trees. If you make an additional tunnel under the air duct, the fire will burn better and smoke little.
Bonfire "Pyramid"
This type of fire is used for cooking and as a night fire. The “pyramid” is formed like this: two logs are placed at the base of the fire, on top of which smaller branches and logs are alternately placed in the form of a lattice. The fire will burn and descend from top to bottom.
Bonfire "Reflector"
“Reflector” fire, “single-shift” fire - used for directed heating. It is called so because heating occurs due to reflected heat. It will be relevant for night heating of a single-shift hut.
The fire is “safe”
The fire is “safe”, “night” - so called because its design prevents logs from falling out of the fire, which is important when heating at night and there is no person on duty at the fire. To fold safe fire The firewood should be placed very tightly to each other and pressed on top with two heavy logs, which will prevent spontaneous rolling out.
"Trench" fire
If you need to light a fire in very windy weather, then build a “trench” fire. It is perfect for these conditions. A trench is dug deep enough to make a fire in it. The wind will not reach the fire, and you will be able to cook food and stay warm.
Now you know the main types of fires and understand how to use their features in different conditions. All that remains is to decide which combination to use in your situation.
A recent boat trip made me remember everything. The fire cooked food for us, scared the bears and just kept us warm. Different types We used fires in different situations. Usually it was a taiga well, a node.
Functional types of fires
I know about a dozen fires, but I don’t use all of them on a hike. I only use 3-4 regularly. If you scour the Internet, you can find various exotic ways making a fire. But this is more entertainment than necessity.
Each type of fire has its own purpose: cooking, heating, lighting. Although most of them are multifunctional and solve several problems at once.
Therefore, when choosing the type of fire that you are going to light, first of all, be guided by the quality of the available firewood and the tools with which you can get it. If you set up a camp in a crooked forest or tundra zone, or there are centuries-old larches around you, but there is neither a saw nor an ax, then it is unlikely that you will have a taiga fire Nodya.
TOP 8 ways to make fires
So, let's start with the most popular and convenient for cooking. In my opinion, this is a fire well or a log house.
Well
There are two ways to make a fire in a well. Either the firewood is stacked in the form of a well, and kindling is lit in the center, or the lit kindling (brushwood) is surrounded by firewood.
To quickly boil the water, the suspended boiler is also slightly lined.
Hut
I would rather call it chum. More often it is used for an igniter, then a well is laid out on its basis.
If you burn a lot of wood in a hut, you get a very bright (pioneer) fire, convenient for illuminating a clearing. The disadvantage is that wood burns quickly.
Nodya
In my opinion, the most suitable fire for lying down (overnight without a tent). Nodya can be very different - from two, three logs and even with a suspended log, but all these complex designs seem to me to be “from the evil one.”
I only use a three-log structure, although I recently read that the two-log structure of a node is considered classic. I specifically tested it on a hike and made a separate article about it and a short review film, which was included in the series Types of Fires, the video was posted on our website’s YouTube channel.
For a three-log taiga fire Nodya you need three logs from 1.5 to 2 m and two small sticks. The sticks are placed on the ground. Two logs are laid on them, with notches previously made with an ax.
Kindling is placed on top of the logs in three or four piles. I usually let the bottom logs burn before placing the top log on top. Firstly, it will still burn faster. Secondly, while only the lower logs are burning, it is very convenient to place a boiler on them (or at least five) and first cook the food, and only then put the upper log, which will immediately take over and provide a lot of light and heat.
You can cook on the node even when the top log has already been laid. Just move it half a meter to the side and place the cauldron on the edge.
Useful articles:
It is preferable to make a node from coniferous species, but any will do dry tree. A nodya made of logs with a diameter of 25-30 cm burns for 6 hours and provides a warm overnight stay.
On a recent hike, the nodya not only kept us warm, but also scared away the bears.
Taiga
A taiga fire is laid out on an already burning fire of another type or, less often, lit on its own.
All taiga logs lie parallel and thus heat each other tightly pressed. The fire is very economical, produces a lot of heat and little smoke. First of all, it is convenient for heating, but it is also good for cooking, especially if there are several boilers.
Several other types of fires are also called taiga, and their main purpose is to provide warmth.
Taiga-gun
The logs are placed with one edge on a log placed perpendicularly to the ground. Thanks to this, air is blown in from below and combustion is more intense.
Taiga-Tunguska
For Tunguska fire you need 5-6 poles, about 3 meters long, as well as a log with a diameter of 25-30 cm and a length of about 1 meter.
The log is placed on the ground, the poles are laid at one end on it (the design is somewhat similar to the Katyusha mortar). Kindling is laid out between the log and the poles, from which the poles begin to burn.
As the poles burn, a hot pile of coals forms underneath them. Their heat reflects off the log, turning into directed heat. As they burn, the poles must be moved.
This type of fire is suitable for spending the night without a tent, although it only produces heat on one side, where the bed is made.
Finnish candle
A Finnish candle is a block of wood 40-60 cm high with two cross-shaped cuts approximately to the middle.
A small fire is lit in the center of the log, which, burning into its depths, ignites the inner layers of wood there. The combustion is fed by air through cuts on four sides.
The purpose is mainly for cooking. This is a kind of wooden primus stove. It burns for a long time, you can even use it two or even three times, extinguishing it with water, and then filling it again - pouring red coals from the main fire into the burnt-out hollow. A Finnish candle does not provide any heat, but is convenient for cooking, does not leave a fire, and can be moved while burning to another place (unlike a fire).
This is a Philippine candle, similar to the Finnish one, we made from a piece of bamboo during our kayaking trip in the Philippines. Despite the exotic material, the design is similar and the purpose is the same.
Lazy candle
Lazy candle, that's what I call another option Finnish candle. Lazy because you don't have to make cuts. Take three identical logs, and use an ax to make notches on one side of each. The logs are placed vertically, pressed tightly against each other. It turns out to be a kind of vertical node.
Just like the Finnish light, it lights up from above. It's also convenient to cook. The disadvantages are that, unlike the classic Finnish candle, it cannot be reused, it cannot be moved as a burner, it leaves a small fire. Pros - it gives warmth and light.
In my opinion, this set of fires is sufficient for traveling even in the harshest conditions. I would also like to note that I give the types of fires and their names as I used to call them, although it is possible that in other sources they are different.
Based on this knowledge, I am not particularly puzzled by which fire to light in a given situation, but rather act on a whim, having inspected the place for the future bivouac.
Dmitry Ryumkin, especially for Zabroska.rf
Light a fire for an experienced tourist - a couple of trifles. You should break dry twigs near the tree trunk: pine, birch - anything will do. They are always dry near the trunk. No for seeding best material than a crumpled newspaper. After small branches have caught fire, thicker dry twigs must be added. The food for the fire is firewood. And what you “feed” the fire depends on how efficiently and comfortably you will use it. Never cut down living trees for firewood: they burn very poorly. Damp branches also burn only to create a smoke screen from mosquitoes.
The most the best firewood– pine. They burn brightly and leave virtually no coals or ash. Burning pine needles is very dangerous: flying sparks can become a source of forest fire; in extreme cases, they will burn through the tent canopy. Birch firewood is only good if it has dried out, lost its bark and has not fallen to the ground. A fallen birch tree remaining in the birch bark will rot in two years and will not burn in a fire. Fir firewood is rarely not rotten and therefore not suitable for fire. Dried aspen trees - good firewood, but you should always remember that sparks fly from aspen.
In the steppe, even if there are no trees nearby, you can always find honeysuckle or cotoneaster bushes and use dead, dry branches for firewood. Once the fire is hot, you can add thicker wood. If the fire is low, you can try to gently fan it by waving a piece of cardboard. There are many ways to create a fire. It should be remembered that fires are lit for cooking when camping. With a large fire, hanging or removing the pot is problematic. A flaming fire is very dangerous and can cause a fire. In the evening, before going to bed, the fire must be extinguished - this is the law, since in the evening the wind blows up the remaining coals and a rekindled fire can cause a lot of trouble. Before leaving the camp site for the night, the fire must be reliably extinguished - doused with water, covered with earth or sand.
Bonfire "Trench" used for cooking in windy weather open area. To build such a fire, you need to dig a groove in the ground of the required length and width, allowing you to install camp boilers over it. The dug groove should be located downwind and have a wide cone-shaped bevel on the windward side. When setting up such a fire, do not forget to take care of the removed turf.
The “Trench” fire is convenient because it does not require a large amount of firewood. In cold weather, if you find yourself in the forest without a sleeping bag, you can use it to create a place to rest. To preserve heat after the firewood burns out, cover the pit with wooden logs, a thin layer of earth and grass. It won't be difficult to do it from above.
. To set up a fire of this type, you need to dig a hole in the ground. To preserve heat, it is advisable to line the bottom of the pit with stones. On such a fire you can boil water, cook food, or bake a roast in the ashes.
Bonfire "Star". To light such a fire you will need thick, dry wood. Lay them out in a star or fan pattern, as shown in the picture. As the firewood burns, it is moved toward the center. Such a fire can burn for a very long time.
. To set up this type of fire, you need to drive four pegs into the ground, between which you place firewood in the form of a fence. The fire is lit from below. It can burn for a long time, releasing a lot of 
heat if you mix dry and damp firewood. This type of fire is very convenient for drying clothes.
Represents itself mixed version bonfires “Nodya” and “Hunter’s Hearth”. Such a fire gives a lot of heat, and it’s good to warm up next to it in the winter cold.
spread between two dry logs, which are laid in such a way that a cauldron, frying pan or kettle can be installed on them.
. At the base of this type of fire, two thick dry logs are placed, on which firewood of smaller and smaller diameters is stacked in several rows in the form of a dense lattice. This type of fire is best suited for joint events with the participation of the entire navigator squad.
A slightly modified version of the “Grate” can be used for cooking, heating people, drying clothes, shoes, etc. Such a fire can be lit if dry or damp wood is available. As dry wood burns, it dries out wet wood, so the fire can burn for quite a long time.
Gives a big flame. It is suitable for quickly heating people and drying clothes, but it quickly burns out.
The simplest device for placing dishes over the fire with a flat bottom is a three-legged stand. This can be done by placing three roughly identical stones around the fire, or by sticking three metal pegs from the tent kit directly into the hot coals. Both stones and metal pegs should be located as if at the vertices of an imaginary equilateral triangle.
Depending on the conditions of the hike, other types of fires can be used in practice. For example, when building a fire in a swamp, you must first make a “foundation”. To do this, you should lay several logs in a row and build a fire of any type on them. To retain heat longer after the fire burns out, the coals should be sprinkled with ashes and a little earth. The heat in this case can last up to 10 hours.
General rules for making fires:
- The fire must be protected from strong winds.
- The fire must be provided with access to air, otherwise it will burn poorly and smoke.
- For heating it is better to build a wide fire, and for cooking - a small cone-shaped one.
- The heat from the fire goes up, so the bed by the fire needs to be made higher than its flame.
Description of the presentation by individual slides:
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Semendyaeva Elena Vladimirovna, Dudicheva Marina Albertovna teachers of additional education MBU DO "TsDUTiE" Stary Oskol TYPES OF FIREFIRE AND THEIR PURPOSE
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What is a fire? The meaning and interpretation of the word is a burning or pile of brushwood, firewood, etc. prepared for burning.
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Choosing a fire pit location. If you make a fire on dry grass or moss, then you need to rake it and dig up the fire pit. If it happens in winter, then the snow needs to be cleared and compacted; if it rains, then you need to make a flooring and stretch out a fire tent. They can also protect themselves from strong winds. The fire rope must be stretched so that minimum distance from the tree to the fire was 3 meters. If there are no trees, then a spear is placed. It is prepared from found branches. Nowadays you can find many ready-made devices for fires.
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Making a fire The secret to success is the right firewood! Making a fire begins with lighting the kindling. The easiest way to set fire is with regular matches! Types of kindling: Cobweb - small dry spruce branches, look for on living fir trees, below. Birch bark Luchina Plexiglas Candle, etc. The most popular option is a cobweb, it’s easy to find, you don’t need to provide anything in the city, etc. The web is rolled up into a bundle and set on fire. The main thing here is to guess the density of the bundle - if you roll it too tightly, it will not flare up because there will be no access to oxygen; if you roll it too lightly, because the branches will not set each other on fire. Experiment while the match is burning;-) If the forest is wet, then the cobweb is first dried on 3-4 matches. It's the same with birch bark. The splinter is used in case of prolonged rains and is made from the middle of a spruce log. It is dry inside even “in the rainy season.” Plexiglas, candles and other delights are usually used in complex weather conditions. Their use does not in any way reduce the requirements for the quality of firewood. We put a cobweb on a burning candle, then larger sticks, etc. There should be a lot of kindling. Don't expect to light a fire with three pieces of wood...
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So, the fire is burning! In order for it to burn happily for a long time, you need to follow several rules: The logs should be laid so that they set each other on fire. In this sense, there is no difference between burning and non-burning logs. There must be some distance between the logs so that air can pass through and, accordingly, oxygen can flow in. We dry the raw firewood by stacking it around the fire. We make sure they don't catch fire.
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Such types of heat sources as primus stoves, camp stoves gas stoves and dry alcohol can be used for cooking and boiling water, but they cannot be used to dry wet clothes, warm up and long time keep warm. For this you need a fire. Depending on the destination, availability of fuel and time.
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Types of fires: Flame - for cooking, heating and drying things Smoke - for repelling mosquitoes, midges and signaling Flame - for cooking and lighting
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Types of fires Pyramid Hut Taiga Trench Pit Star Nodya Fireplace Reflector Hearth Well Polynesian Night Grate
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“Pyramid” or “Hut” fire This fire produces a large flame, suitable for quickly heating people and drying clothes, but quickly burns out.
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Bonfire “Trench” Used for cooking in windy weather in open areas. To set up such a fire, you need to dig a groove in the ground of the required length and width, allowing you to install camp boilers over it. The dug groove should be located downwind and have a wide cone-shaped bevel on the windward side. When setting up such a fire, do not forget to take care of the removed turf. The “Trench” fire is convenient because it does not require a large amount of firewood. In cold weather, if you find yourself in the forest without a sleeping bag, you can use it to create a place to rest. To preserve heat after the firewood burns out, cover the pit with wooden logs, a thin layer of earth and grass. It will not be difficult to make a comfortable, warm bed on top.
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Bonfire “Pit” To set up a fire of this type, you need to dig a hole in the ground. To preserve heat, it is advisable to line the bottom of the pit with stones. On such a fire you can boil water, cook food, or bake a roast in the ashes.
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Bonfire “Star” To light such a fire you will need thick, dry wood. Lay them out in a star or fan pattern, as shown in the picture. As the firewood burns, it is moved toward the center. Such a fire can burn for a very long time.
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“Nodya” bonfire To set up this type of bonfire, you need to drive four pegs into the ground, between which you place firewood in the form of a fence. The fire is lit from below. It can burn for a long time, generating a lot of heat, if you mix dry and damp firewood. This type of fire is very convenient for drying clothes.
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“Reflector” bonfire This bonfire is a mixed version of the “Nodya” and “Hunter’s Hearth” bonfires. Such a fire gives a lot of heat, and it’s good to warm up next to it in the winter cold.
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Fireplace “Hearth” The fire is made between two dry logs, which are laid in such a way that a cauldron, frying pan or kettle can be placed on them.
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Bonfire “Lattice” Bonfire “Lattice”. At the base of this type of fire, two thick dry logs are placed, on which firewood of smaller and smaller diameters is stacked in several rows in the form of a dense lattice. This type of fire is best suited for joint events involving the entire squad. A slightly modified version of the “Grate” can be used for cooking food, heating people, drying clothes, shoes, etc. Such a fire can be made if dry and damp firewood is available. As dry wood burns, it dries out wet wood, so the fire can burn for quite a long time. A fire of three logs is equipped in such a way that the “Pyramid” fire serves as its filling.
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"Hunter" fire made of three logs on a lining burns for 6-8 hours without special care(you only need to periodically move forward and bring the burning ends of the logs closer together) and is very convenient for small one-sided barriers.
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Burrow fire Dig a hole about 45 cm deep in the slope of a dense earthen embankment. Stick a stick on top so that it goes into the hole, and move it slightly to make a chimney hole. Remove the crumbled soil from the hole. This fire is ideal for smoking meat and fish. Light a fire in the hole. At strong wind the hole leading into the fire chamber should be on the leeward side
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“Well” fire Two logs are placed parallel to each other, at some distance, then two more across them... This design provides good access of air to the fire and the logs will burn evenly. Such a fire is also good in wet weather.
How to light a fire - a simple question. It is enough to collect dry branches, put on a fire (for example, crumpled up newspaper) and add more firewood as it flares up. Do not use fresh trees and do not add live branches, only if it is for mosquito smoke. But in fact, fires have several types, depending on their purpose.
Types of fires:
Bonfire - Trench. This type of fire is used for cooking in windy weather. It is made quite simply - a trench is dug out enough to install a pot. The groove should be located downwind and beveled on the windward side. Because The wind power is used rationally, and the consumption of firewood is reduced. And if, after burning out the firewood, you cover the pit with a log and a thin layer of soil with grass, you can keep the heat for a long time and arrange a bed right at the site of the fire.
Bonfire - Pit. This type of fire is also good for cooking. It’s easy to do - dig a hole, line the bottom with stones (for better preservation heat), firewood is installed and set on fire.
Bonfire - Star. This is a long-burning type of fire. Thick dry logs are taken, laid out in a star/fan pattern and set on fire from the center. As they burn through, we simply push them towards the center. Many tourists love this fire for its long burning time; it is good to sleep near such a fire.
Bonfire - Nodya. Nodya is a type of fire that requires you to spend time on, but in return you get a lot. It’s done like this: We drive 4 pegs into the ground (we measure the width and length using firewood), lay out the logs, you can alternate dry with wet ones, put birch bark and paper between the logs, generally ignite, set fire from below. Such a fire will burn for a very long time and with very high heat transfer, well suited for drying things.
Bonfire - The hunter's hearth. It’s extremely easy to do - lay two large logs in parallel, so that you can put a pot or frying pan, and build a fire between them. Convenient for instant cooking food.
Bonfire - Reflector. This type of fire was created by mixing Nodya and the Hunter's Hearth. Gives a lot of heat, burns for a long time, warms up very well even in winter.
Bonfire - Grate. Two dry large logs are taken, on which firewood is laid in the form of a lattice in several layers in decreasing order. This type of fire is well suited for drying things, shoes, and warming people.
Bonfire - Pyramid. This fire produces a strong flame. It's easy to do - lay out the firewood in a pyramid and set it on fire. Good for drying things and keeping people warm.
