How To Correctly Build a Fire in Your Fireplace

There’s nothing quite like the cozy crackle and warm glow of a real wood fire. It instantly turns a chilly evening into a moment worth savoring. The living room becomes a hub for family, friends, and conversation, with everyone gathering to escape the cold. Yet, for many homeowners, that cozy vision quickly turns frustrating when their fires sputter out too quickly, smoke fills the room, or the warmth never quite takes hold.

This guide walks you through the correct steps to build a fire in your fireplace, ensuring it's safe, warm, and long-lasting.

Prepare the Fireplace

First, clear out most of the old ashes from the fireplace floor. Use a small shovel and a metal bucket to remove the debris, leaving a thin layer of approximately one inch. This ash bed acts as insulation, helping to reflect heat upward and encouraging the new fire to catch and burn more effectively.

Next, you need to locate the damper, a metal control plate inside the chimney flue, before attempting to light a match. You must open it entirely so that smoke has a clear path to escape outside, rather than filling your room.

As you prepare, take a moment to perform a quick safety check and move any flammable objects, such as blankets, books, or decorations, at least three feet away from the fireplace opening.

Gather Your Materials

Successful fire-building depends on having the right materials ready before you start. You'll need three types of fuel, each with a distinct purpose, including:

Tinder

This is your fire-starter. It needs to be something that ignites very easily with a small flame. Good options include crumpled newspaper, dry pine needles, or commercially available fire starters.

Kindling

This material is slightly larger than tinder and serves as the bridge fuel. Small, dry twigs, thin strips of softwood like pine or cedar, or split pieces of larger logs work well. Your kindling should be no thicker than your thumb.

Firewood

This is your primary fuel source. You need seasoned hardwood, such as oak, maple, or birch, which has been split and dried for at least six to twelve months. Dry wood burns hotter, cleaner, and produces far less smoke than wet or “green” wood.

Build a Base Layer

With your materials gathered, it's time to construct the fire's foundation. This structure promotes airflow, which is crucial for maintaining a healthy, robust flame. Begin by placing a loose bundle of your tinder right in the center of the fireplace grate, over the thin ash bed you left earlier.

After you lay the base, arrange your kindling over and around the tinder using the teepee or the crisscross (or log cabin) formations.

• Teepee formation: lean the pieces of kindling against each other to form a cone shape over the tinder.

• Crisscross formation: lay two pieces of kindling parallel to each other, then place two more on top at a right angle, creating a small square with the tinder inside.

Avoid the temptation to pack the wood too tightly; remember that air is the fire's best friend.

Add Firewood

Once your kindling structure is in place, you can add your primary fuel. Select two or three of your smallest, thinnest pieces of firewood for this initial step. Place them carefully over the kindling, continuing the structure you started.

If you built a teepee with kindling, lean the logs against it. However, if you used the crisscross method, lay the logs on top of the kindling, maintaining the alternating pattern. The goal is to position the firewood so the flames from the kindling will directly touch it, while still leaving plenty of space between the logs for air to circulate freely.

Why It Matters

Starting with smaller logs gives the fire a better chance to establish itself before you introduce larger, denser pieces of wood.

Light the Fire

The moment of truth has arrived! Using a long match or a fireplace lighter allows you to reach the tinder safely without getting too close to the flames. Carefully ignite the tinder in several different spots from the bottom.

As the tinder catches fire, the flames will spread upward, igniting the kindling, so watch closely to ensure it starts burning. A well-built structure should catch quickly, with the small twigs crackling and igniting the larger pieces of kindling above them as the fire spreads.

Encourage the Flame

Another tip for building a fire in your fireplace is to give the flames a bit of encouragement and “help” when needed. If the fire seems weak or is struggling to catch the kindling, you can gently blow at the base of the fire to introduce a burst of oxygen; this can help the embers glow hotter and ignite the surrounding fuel.

A fireplace bellows is an excellent tool for this job, as it allows you to blow air onto the flames while staying at a safe distance. You can also achieve this effect with your own breath through a hollow tube or by carefully fanning the fire with a piece of cardboard. If you do the latter, ensure you stay six to twelve inches away from the fire; getting too close can result in burns.

Pro Tip

Resist the urge to add more wood at this stage, as adding too much fuel too soon will likely smother the fire and cause it to go out. Instead, aim to add one to two logs as needed once the flames die down. Patience is your greatest asset here while you wait for the kindling to burn strongly.

Add Larger Logs Gradually

Once the kindling burns vigorously and the initial small logs catch fire, you have established your fire. Now you can begin to add larger, denser pieces of firewood. Place one or two of these logs onto the fire, again taking care to maintain good airflow.

Position them so that they rest on the hot embers, but leave space between them. You can continue with the teepee or log cabin structure, leaning the logs toward the center or stacking them in a crisscross pattern.

Maintain and Monitor the Fire

Always use a fireplace screen to contain any sparks or embers that may escape from the firebox. Never leave a fire unattended, even for a few minutes. It's a wise practice to keep a bucket of water or a fire extinguisher nearby, just in case.

Once your fire is burning well, you can keep it going by adding a new log every 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the size of your fire. Use a fireplace poker to occasionally shift the logs, which breaks up the ash and exposes fresh wood to the flames. If too much ash builds up, you can use a small shovel to clear some away from the base of the fire carefully.

Stock Up on Firewood

Buckhead Firewood Delivery is proud to offer firewood delivery services in Buckhead, GA, for homeowners. Keep a supply on hand and never run out! Our family-owned business stocks seasoned and kiln-dried wood so you can get precisely what you need to cozy up next to your fireplace.