There is no better way to spend cool nights on your island than with a camp fire, cocoa, s’mores and friends and family. The perfect campfire is the center piece of any island get together, but as always safety is very important when setting up a fire pit. After all, your island wouldn’t be very enjoyable if you burnt it down! Click below to read my tips for creating a safe and enjoyable fire pit.

Enjoying a campfire on an island
Image source:

Location, location, location: It’s very important to use an open area for your fire. There shouldn’t be branches, power lines or any other debris dangling above the fire.

Clear the area: Make sure there are no boulders, rocks, branches lying around in the vicinity. The spot may seem ideal during the day, but come night time it can become a minefield to walk through.

Choose your seats: You want to figure out which direction the wind is moving and move your seats upwind of the fire. If your guests find themselves sitting downwind they may very well spend the evening breathing smoke.

Choose the size of your fire: Every time my kids visit we end up with these massive fires, and I will admit I tend to get carried away. The fact of the matter is you don’t need to have a fire that can be seen from space if you are only toasting marshmallows. Figure out what you need the fire for and how many people will be sitting around it. Using your common sense you can figure out how big your fire should be.

Dig your hole: Dig a hole about 4 inches deep and coat the bottom and sides with 1 inch of sand (if you are on your sandy beach you probably don’t need to coat). You can also use rocks as a surface for the fire instead of sand. However, the rocks will get scorched and can be unsightly. Avoid root systems, root fires can smolder underground for years!

Ring with Rocks: Outline the hole by piling rocks around the outside. Rocks provide no real safety function but they make the fire look good. Avoid using porous rocks as they have been known to explode.

Start your fire: Use dried kindling and newspapers to get your fire going. Once the fire is going, add larger blocks of wood for a longer burn.

Enjoy: bring, booze, fireworks, bad jokes, marshmallows, scary stories or whatever your friends and family enjoy.  You can build the most beautiful campfire but if you aren’t having fun then what’s the point.

Say goodnight safely: Do not leave your fire unattended at night, even if it has died down. No matter how small the fire is always dowse it with copious amounts of water before turning in. This will help prevent the fire from flaring up and causing damage.