On a cold winter's night, nothing's cozier than curling up near a warm fireplace. But do you know the best way to build a fire? Here's a step-by-step guide.
Before using your fireplace and chimney for the first time in the season, you'll want to call in a pro to inspect and clean.
And never use your fireplace without first following these safety tips. Remove any flammable objects from the fireplace area, and be sure nothing is hanging off your mantel.
Make sure the room with your fireplace is well-ventilated and free of any flammable fumes and gases.
Now it's time to gather your supplies. You'll need extra-long wooden safety strike matches, dry wood or twigs for kindling, sheets of newspaper for tinder, seasoned firewood, an iron fireplace grate and a poker.
Before building the fire, check that your fireplace damper, which is the vent, is fully open.
Start by placing two pieces of firewood on the grate in your fireplace.
Now crumple newspaper, which is your tinder, and place it between the firewood. Place the kindling on top.
Add one or two more pieces of firewood on top of the other logs, and be sure to leave enough room for air to circulate around the logs. Be careful not to add too much wood.
Before you light the fire, be sure you have important safety tools close by.
Now it's time to light the fire. Twist a single sheet of newspaper and hold it in your fireplace. Carefully light the paper while holding it up as high as you can in the fireplace. This can help establish a nice draft, allowing the smoke to travel upward and out of your chimney.
Next, light the kindling with the burning paper.
Once the fire starts, add firewood as needed, but make sure the top of the flames do not reach the top of the fireplace opening. Place the screen in front of your fireplace to help stop any flying sparks from leaving the fireplace and to help prevent logs from rolling out.
All that's left is to relax and enjoy the toasty fire. And remember to put out the fire completely before going to sleep or leaving the room.