# Have you been burned by your campfire?



## ctfortner

I can't even remember how many times I have. Roasting a marshmallow and using my mouth to get it off instead of pulling it off, yep that stick end is HOT to the mouth. Or when the mellow is a little to gooey and falls off on your leg, not fun. Oh yeah, dont grab that cast iron skillet handle with a bare hand either, been there done that :rotflmao1:


----------



## EdisonCheug

oooh, take care man! 
but thanks for your reminding 
and good luck next time.


----------



## happiestcamper

Way back in scouts, someone had taken the metal poles from my tent and put them over the fire to hold pots. Of course, those hollow poles got hot and one started to bend, so the pots fell in the fire. I grabbed the pole and pulled it out, then immediately threw it down cause it was so hot. Someone yelled I better bend it back straight before it cooled. Stupidly, I picked it up and tried to fix it - only to severely burn my hands. Scoutmaster was not happy :whipyobut:

So, the campfire has never burned me, but like Todd, I've done dumb things with a campfire and burned myself :rotflmao1:


----------



## dogbone

my DW put a piece of copper tubing in the fire, to make colored flames. The fire was just getting started when i saw the copper and thought one of the kids would grab it thinking it was a stick. The fire was hot enough to get that copper real hot. Second degree burns on the palm of my hand and fingers. I stuck my hand right into the cooler full of iced down clams.
Two good things happened. None of the kids got hurt and someone else had to open my clams.


----------



## cuzican

Can't say that I've burned myself with a campfire....that I can remember. 
I have burned myself welding and cutting a few times but never anything serious.


----------



## samaza

so many times... usually a stray piece of coal that gets outside the fire. I like walking barefoot, it was pretty bad when the piece got lodged inbetween my toes and didn´t fall out quickly enough!


----------



## Shadow

Hmm. Well.. I've never got burned directly from the fire, though the hot skewer with the hotdog on it sure did a number on my lip when I accidentally touched it. 
Rarely do I ever sit around the fire with much skin exposed. Usually just face and hands. I use tools, whether a stick, shovel, machette, etc to mess with the fire. The only time my hands get close to the fire ring is if I am lighting it initially, or wearing gloves.. I recommend carrying a pair of welders gloves with you. They make great cooking mitts, and if needed you can reach directly into the fire to move something or retrieve something that has fallen in. My fires usually are pretty hot though. I routinely melt my aluminum coke cans in the fire pit just for novelty sake, and also they take up less room in the trash bag.


----------



## edwinjd

Not directly. But like samaza, I've had my share of getting my feet burned by a stray coal...usually the morning after a wild night with friends as I stumble out of my tent.


----------



## artmart

I have never been burned, I don't walk around the campground barefoot, no cuts, no bruises, no sticks in the eye unlike many friends and companions. The only things I experienced have been sore muscles (meaning I didn't physically prepare for a trip enough) and a small blister (learned about MoleFoam) even after 30 mile backpacks and that's about it.

As for the biggest scare, it was probably the bear sniffing my face when I opted to sleep out under the stars.

The worse outing I had that I won't go into too many details but I even had one outing where a friend fell to his death. It was a long sad story in my life, of an unfortunate accident for someone that gloried in every day he could spend in the backcountry. A tragedy for sure and something I'll never forget.

Maybe this is why I am so avid about safety being first for all types of camping, and cost being second and trying to avoid carelessness at any level. I hope no one ever has to go through what I did when we are enjoying our recreational activities. Wow, talk about getting off-topic and creating a bummer.


----------



## smores101

samaza said:


> so many times... usually a stray piece of coal that gets outside the fire. I like walking barefoot, it was pretty bad when the piece got lodged inbetween my toes and didn´t fall out quickly enough!


First mistake was walking barefoot outside! :smack-head: haha


----------



## hideout

i droped a pan of hot grease on the front of me,i still have scars on my arm:thumbdown:


----------



## edwinjd

Ouch! That must have really hurt, hideout.


----------



## garmp

If you haven't been burned by the camp fire, you obviously haven't been camping long enough. Give it time and keep working at it. Trust me!


----------



## PrdCdn

Yeah, silly me .. playing with Naptha and an unlit fire. Burned my eyebrows and arm hair ~ what a stink !! :shocked:


----------



## edwinjd

garmp said:


> If you haven't been burned by the camp fire, you obviously haven't been camping long enough. Give it time and keep working at it. Trust me!


That's a really good point, garmp. Just last weekend, I actually singed myself while trying to take out the pot I was boiling water in for my coffee. Another little burn to add my collection. Hehehe!!!


----------



## artmart

Unlike the phrase "there are only two types of 4x4 owners" (one that has gotten stuck and one that will get stuck), and the phrase "there are only two types of Motorcycle riders" (one that has fallen and one that is going to fall), I do NOT believe this to apply to fires. I have never been burned nor do I ever plan to be burned by an type of fire (camp, stove, match, etc.)

I will take garmp's statements as humorous and not fact. I have been burning things for over 50 years and haven't ever been burned or burnt. I do not plan to change this. I've had plenty of other accidents but I am too careful around fires.

On the other hand, when my son was much younger and on a Boy Scout outing he melted the soles of his shoes when he propped up his feet on the stones surrounding a campfire. He finally felt the heat at his toes and when he jumped up in surprise the soles flattened into a melted hot mess and he had to step out of them quite fast because of the heat. So now his shoes are melted and he's hopping around in his socks stepping on sharp stones and twigs eventually falling to the ground. It took a while for everyone around him to stop laughing long enough to help him out. It could have been worse. Fortunately, he didn't fall into the fire.


----------



## jason

Avoid building campfires under hanging branches or over steep slopes, and clear a ten-foot diameter circle around the fire of all flammable debris.


----------

