How to Put Out a Fire Pit, Step by Step

Plan the End Before You Light

Putting a fire pit out is easiest when you stop feeding it well before the evening ends. Let the last logs burn down to coals rather than going to bed with a fresh split on top, and have the kit ready from the start. The Smokey Bear campfire guidance lists water, a bucket or large container and a shovel; at home a garden hose that reaches the pit is the best of the three.

Florida's open-burning rule gives a useful standard. Rule 5I-2.006(11) of the Florida Administrative Code says a recreational or ceremonial bonfire must be attended at all times and completely smothered, with no visible flame, smoke or emissions, if the area is to be left unattended. A backyard pit deserves the same finish.

The Steps for a Wood Fire Pit

These are the steps the campfire guidance gives, adapted to a backyard pit:

• Spread the remaining logs and coals apart with the shovel so they cool faster.
• Pour water over everything, slowly, until the hissing sound stops. Drown all the embers, not only the red ones.
• Stir the wet ash and coals with the shovel and scrape burnt logs until nothing is exposed or smoldering.
• Pour on more water and stir again until all the material is cool.
• Hold the back of your hand just above the ash. Feel for any warmth before you walk away.
• Check once more before bed, and again in the morning before children or pets go near the pit.

Why Dirt or Sand Alone Is Not Enough

Covering a fire with dirt or sand looks like it works, because the flames disappear. The Smokey Bear guidance warns against putting a fire out with only dirt or sand, because coals keep burning under the cover where you cannot see them. Sand in the bottom of a pit is fine as a base, but it is not an extinguisher; water and stirring are.

The same goes for simply closing the lid on a pit that has one. A lid starves the flame of air but leaves hot coals inside a hot bowl. Use the lid after the water, not instead of it.

The Cold-Ash Check, Done Properly

The back-of-the-hand test only works if it covers the whole pit. Coals hide under the ends of half-burnt logs, in the corners of a square pit and under the rim of a bowl where the shovel did not reach. Turn the ash over in a few places and feel each one, then look at the ground around the pit for any ember that popped out during the evening.

Breeo, a fire pit maker, tells owners to allow enough time for the ashes to cool before removing them, and that is the right order for any pit: wet, stirred, cold, and only then scooped out.

If the Fire Gets Away From You

The Smokey Bear guidance says to call 911 immediately if a fire jumps from the pit to surrounding vegetation or if embers fly outside the fire. Do that first, then use the hose on the edge of the spread if it is safe to stand there. Do not chase a grass fire with a bucket while nobody has called for help.

Steel Bowls and Built-In Pits

A steel fire bowl gets very hot, and a full bucket dumped into it at once throws a cloud of steam and ash up into your face. Pour slowly from the side, standing back, and let the bowl hiss down between pours. Read the maker's instructions for your pit as well: some double-walled smokeless designs and some coated finishes come with their own guidance on how to put the fire out and how to clean out the ash once it is cold.

A masonry fire pit or patio fireplace holds heat in the stone for a long time after the flames are gone. Water the coals the same way, then leave the stone to cool on its own, and keep the ash check in the morning.

Gas Fire Pits

A gas or propane fire pit is put out by turning off the gas, at the burner control and then at the tank or supply valve, in the order the maker's manual gives. There are no coals to drown, but the burner pan, the stones or glass on top and the surround stay hot for a while. Keep children and pets back from the ring until it has cooled, and cover the burner only when the maker says it is safe to do so.

Where the Ash Goes

Cold ash is still worth handling carefully, because a pocket of live coal can hide under a wet top layer. The NFPA asks that ashes be cool before they go into a metal container, and the U.S. Fire Administration's fireplace safety card adds a lid and a place outside at least 10 feet from the home. A metal can with a tight lid, set on bare ground or pavers away from the house, is the right home for fire pit ash until trash day.

Never put ash in a paper bag, a cardboard box or a plastic bin, and never set the can against the house, the fence or the deck.

When the Pit Will Not Behave

A built-in pit or outdoor fireplace that keeps relighting, smolders for hours or lets smoke out of cracks in the masonry needs a closer look. Our outdoor fireplace service covers the fire box, the chimney and the stone around them. For the fuel side, read what to burn in a fire pit, since wet or treated wood makes a fire that is harder to put out.

Fire features are part of what our experienced crew looks after for Spring Hill homes. We are family-owned, local and Proudly American; book a free inspection and the estimate comes in writing before any work. Careful is the only speed we work at, and we think that is what Proudly American should mean.

Sources

• Smokey Bear wildfire prevention program: campfire safety: Water, bucket, shovel; pour until hissing stops; do not extinguish with only dirt or sand; stir and scrape; feel with back of hand; too hot to touch, too hot to leave
• Florida Administrative Code rule 5I-2.006 (Florida Forest Service open burning): 5I-2.006(11) recreational fire attended at all times and completely smothered with no visible flame, smoke or emissions if left unattended
• U.S. Fire Administration: outdoor fire safety tips: Turn off or put out fires before you leave the backyard
• NFPA heating safety tip sheet: Ashes cool before going into a metal container
• U.S. Fire Administration: fireplace and wood stove safety card: Ashes in a metal container with a lid, outside at least 10 feet from the home
• Breeo fire pit maker FAQ: Allow ashes to cool before removing them from the pit