A step-by-step guide to building a bonfire, without wrecking the garden
Bonfire Night 2020 is without the usual festivities, though no less fun for it. Though Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that a national lockdown will resume from Thursday 5 November, due to rising Covid-19 infections in the UK, you can still gather your household together in celebration of Guy Fawkes night. Make some autumn treats, grab some sparklers and light a bonfire. Here, we share our step-by-step guide to building your own, minus the damage.
How to build a bonfire
Find a site far away from fences, buildings, trees, roots and plants and sheltered from gusts of wind. Clear away any household rubbish and garden waste (including bottles, cans, flammable liquids, anything containing plastic, foam or paint, rubber tyres - these give off noxious fumes). Dig a pit a few inches deep and a few feet wider than you wish your fire to be.
Place garden rocks, bricks or heavy logs around the perimeter of the pit. Make a flat bed of charcoal briquets at the centre. Ensure that your materials are dry. Build a 'teepee' shape from light tinder (twigs, bark, grass, dried leaves, garden prunings) over the briquets.
Follow this with small kindling, at 45 degree angles, meeting in the middle. Leave gaps for oxygen to reach the tinder. Lay medium-sized sticks (10cm diameter) parallel to each other on either side of the teepee. Build up the kindling in five perpendicular layers. Place large logs at intervals around the base.
Ensure that some long, thin pieces of kindling are touching the base and the top of the tower. Tie these pieces together firmly with twine to maintain the shape.
Light a match and drop it inside the teepee. (Never use oil, petrol or methylated spirits.) Add wood as needed. Have buckets of water, sand and a fire extinguisher on hand. Don't leave the fire to smoulder, put it out completely with water and pile dirt on top. Never throw fireworks on it, used or not. For information about the legal restrictions and guidelines on bonfires, go to www.environmental-protection.org.uk.
