How to Put Out a Campfire Safely (With or Without Water)

Your camping trip is winding down. The stars are out and the fire has given you warmth and light all evening. But before you head to your tent or pack up to leave, you need to deal with that campfire. A fire that's not properly extinguished can reignite hours later. It can spark a wildfire that destroys acres of woodland. Every year, escaped campfires cause serious damage to natural areas across the UK.

Putting out a campfire properly is simpler than you think. Whether you have water on hand or not, there are reliable methods to kill every ember and make sure nothing can reignite. The key is being thorough and patient. Never walk away until you're absolutely certain the fire is cold.

This guide walks you through the complete process of extinguishing a campfire safely. You'll learn how to let the fire burn down properly, the right way to use water or dirt, and how to verify everything is cold before you leave. We'll cover both methods so you're prepared whatever your situation.

Why putting out your campfire matters

A campfire can look dead but still hold enough heat to reignite. Hot embers stay active for hours after visible flames disappear. You leave thinking everything is safe, but buried coals flare up when wind picks up or dry material falls into the pit. Wildfires caused by campfires kill wildlife, destroy habitats, and force evacuations across the UK every summer.

Learning how to put out a campfire properly is your responsibility as a camper. Scottish and Welsh outdoor access codes require complete fire extinguishment before leaving any site. In England, many landowners now ban fires altogether because of damage from poorly extinguished campfires. When you fail to do this correctly, you threaten the access rights all outdoor enthusiasts depend on.

An unextinguished campfire can reignite up to 12 hours after you leave the site.

The real risks of unextinguished fires

Ground fires cause devastating damage because they burn underground through root systems and soil layers. These fires travel slowly beneath the surface, invisible to anyone walking above. They can emerge hundreds of metres from your original campfire days later. Peat and peaty soils are particularly vulnerable, smouldering for weeks once ignited.

Step 1. Let the fire burn down

Plan your fire's end at least two hours before you need to leave. The first rule of learning how to put out a campfire is never trying to extinguish a roaring blaze. When flames are still high, dousing with water creates dangerous steam and scalding droplets that can burn you. The temperature shock can also crack fire pit stones, sending sharp fragments flying. You need patience here.

Stop adding fuel early

Stop feeding the fire when you have about 90 minutes left at your campsite. Work out when you want to pack up or go to bed, then subtract two hours. That's your last log. Let existing fuel burn down to ash naturally. Small fires die faster than large ones, so if you've built a big blaze, you need even more time. The wood will collapse inward as it burns, creating a bed of glowing embers rather than flames.

Spread out the burning material

Use a long stick or shovel to spread hot coals across the fire pit floor. This exposes more surface area to air and speeds cooling. Push larger pieces of wood apart from each other so they stop feeding heat to one another. You're breaking up the fire's fuel source and letting individual embers cool independently. Never do this with your boot as melted rubber will stick to hot coals.

Spreading embers reduces overall temperature by 40% faster than leaving them piled together.

Step 2. Use water to put it out

Water is the fastest and most reliable method for learning how to put out a campfire completely. You need plenty of it, at least 20 litres for a standard campfire. Pour the water slowly from a safe distance to control steam and avoid sudden temperature shocks that crack stones. Never throw water quickly or from close range. The goal is to saturate every ember and ash particle until nothing can hold heat.

Pour water slowly and deliberately

Start at the outer edge of the fire pit and work inward in a spiral pattern. This method prevents hot embers from spitting out toward you. Hold your water container at arm's length and pour steadily rather than dumping everything at once. You'll hear loud hissing and see steam rise as water meets hot ash. Wait for this initial reaction to calm before moving closer or adding more water.

Focus extra water on any logs or branches that still show black char marks. These pieces retain heat longest and need thorough soaking. Pour water directly onto them, then wait for the hissing to stop.

Stir everything thoroughly

Use a long stick or shovel to mix water into the ash and embers. Turn over every piece of wood and scrape at blackened logs to expose any red glow underneath. Stir from the bottom of the pit upward to ensure water reaches buried coals. Add more water as you stir. The mixture should become a muddy paste rather than dry ash with wet patches on top.

Repeat until silent

Continue the pour-and-stir cycle until you hear no hissing sounds. Silence means water is no longer vaporizing on contact, which indicates lower temperatures. Pour one final round of water over the entire pit even after the hissing stops. This final saturation catches any stubborn hot spots you might have missed.

A properly drowned campfire will be completely silent and produce no steam when you add water.

Step 3. Put the fire out without water

Dirt and sand work just as effectively as water when you know how to put out a campfire without liquid. This method takes longer but proves essential when you're camping in areas where water is scarce or you need to conserve your drinking supply. The principle is simple: cut off the oxygen supply by filling every air gap between embers with soil. You're smothering the fire rather than cooling it, which means patience and thoroughness matter more than speed.

Gather enough soil or sand

Collect at least three full shovel loads of dry soil before you begin. Damp soil works but dry material flows better into small spaces between embers. Avoid soil with roots, leaves, or other organic matter as these can catch fire. Sandy soil is ideal because particles are fine enough to fill tiny gaps. Dig from at least two metres away from your fire pit to avoid disturbed ground that might contain hidden embers.

Smother the embers completely

Sprinkle the first shovel load evenly over the entire fire bed. Never dump soil in one heap as this creates pockets where air can still reach hot coals underneath. Work systematically across the fire pit so every glowing ember disappears under at least five centimetres of soil. You'll see the glow fade as oxygen gets cut off. Add your second shovel load and repeat the even distribution.

Mix and turn repeatedly

Use your shovel to stir soil deep into the ash layer. Turn over every piece of wood and scrape blackened logs to check for red embers underneath the crust. Mix the soil and ash together until you create a uniform blend with no visible separation between layers. Add your final shovel load and stir again. The more you mix, the more effectively you block oxygen from reaching any remaining heat sources.

Soil particles must fill every gap between embers to completely cut off the oxygen supply that keeps coals alive.

Step 4. Check everything is cold

Verifying your fire is completely extinguished is the final and most critical step in learning how to put out a campfire properly. Your hands become the testing tool here. Place your palm five centimetres above the ash bed and hold it there for ten seconds. If you feel any warmth at all, the fire is not out. You need to repeat either the water or soil method until no heat radiates from any part of the fire pit.

Use the hand test systematically

Move your hand slowly across the entire fire pit area rather than checking just one spot. Hot embers often hide at the edges or beneath larger pieces of wood. Hold your palm above each section for a full ten seconds to detect low-level heat that might not be immediately obvious. Test the ground around the fire pit border as well because heat can transfer through soil. Your hand should feel nothing warmer than the ambient air temperature.

A fire pit that feels cool to your palm at 5cm distance is safe to leave.

Check buried logs and edges

Use a stick to flip over any remaining log pieces and test the underside with your hand. Thick wood retains heat in its core long after the surface cools. Scrape away ash from the pit edges where embers can nestle against stones or roots. These hidden spots cause most campfire reignitions. If you discover any warm areas during your checks, apply more water or soil and restart the entire testing process from the beginning.

Always leave your fire cold

Following these steps ensures you know how to put out a campfire completely every time you head outdoors. The cold hand test is your final checkpoint before leaving any fire site. If your palm detects any warmth at all, you're not done. Spend the extra ten minutes to add more water or soil rather than risk a wildfire that could destroy hectares of woodland. Campfire safety protects the wild places we all love and keeps them accessible for future outdoor adventures. Never compromise on this responsibility.

Before your next camping trip, make sure you have the right gear to enjoy the outdoors safely and responsibly. Browse our camping essentials for everything from quality sleeping bags to portable water carriers that help you extinguish fires properly.