Prevent woodland fires

Smokey the Bear says, “A great, crackling campfire is just what you need for camping in the woods in October. But it is also a serious responsibility. Protect the woods you love by completely extinguishing your fire.”

Maintaining your campfire
As you’re enjoying your campfire, remember these safety tips:

• Once you have a strong fire going, add larger pieces of dry wood to keep it burning steadily.
• Keep your fire to a manageable size.
• Make sure children and pets are supervised when near the fire.
• Never leave your campfire unattended.
• Never cut live trees or branches from live trees.

Extinguishing your campfire
Here is how to make sure your fire is completely out:

• Allow the wood to burn completely to ash, if possible.
• Pour lots of water on the fire and drown ALL embers — not just the red ones. Pour until the hissing sound stops. Stir the ashes and embers with a shovel.
• Make sure everything is wet, and embers are cold to the touch. If you do not have water, use dirt. Mix dirt or sand with the embers until they are cool to the touch.
• DO NOT merely bury the fire. It will continue to smolder and could catch roots on fire — and potentially start a wildfire.
• REMEMBER: If it’s too hot to touch, it’s too hot to leave!

Don’t burn dangerous things

• Never burn aerosol cans or pressurized containers. They may explode. And never put glass in the fire pit. Glass does not melt away — it only heats and shatters. Aluminum cans do not burn. They only break down into smaller pieces. Inhaling aluminum dust can be harmful.
• Pack it in, pack it out. Don’t leave trash.