Aussie traveller calls out deadly recurring issue after 11,000km camping trip
Amid "consistent" reports of Australian campers and caravanners failing to put out their fires correctly, the public is being warned that even in winter, accidents do happen, particularly as cold weather often brings with it windy conditions.
A frustrated camping enthusiast unleashed online this week, saying that after travelling "11,000 kilometres" on a recent trip around the country's west, he found "so many campfires" that had not "been put out properly". "Only one we have found [was] done as it should be," the man wrote.
"After driving past the 2024 bushfire area from Caiguna to Balladonia, surely that is enough for people to wake up and do the right thing," he said, pointing to the more than 10,000 hectares of bushland that burnt in April last year, forcing road closures along one of the country's most isolated stretches.
The fire, believed to have started from human activity, highlighted the extreme risks associated with poorly extinguished campfires and the devastating consequences they can have in remote, dry regions. Earlier this year, a seven-year-old Queenslander was badly burned after inadvertently stepping on a campfire that wasn't properly put out.
After seeing the man's post, Inspector James Morris with the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) warned that campfires can prove dangerous and deadly, no matter the season or the state. "It's always a threat, it doesn't have to be summertime for campfire-related issues to occur," he told Yahoo News.
"During winter, we still get winds, that could also cause an issue. Year-round, people need to take appropriate precautions to make sure the fire is fully extinguished."
Morris said that when it comes to putting campfires out safely, "water's the best extinguishing agent". He said it's a common misconception that there is no danger just because a fire may appear visibly put out, and it could still be burning inside large logs.
"Water cools the fire down and removes the heat from the fuel," he said. "But some of the challenges we have are people not putting enough water on — so the fire's still burning — and then they just load it up with soil or sticks, which doesn't help.
"People think they're doing the right thing, but once logs get to a certain size in diameter, the fire and the embers are still buried in that log.
"So as much as you might have put the actual flames out that are burning in and around the log, it's really important that you pull apart that fire — pull apart the wood and timber that's within there — and make sure that there's no heat left whatsoever."
Morris said it's "crucial" if you're planning to have a campfire, to have at least a three metre radius clear of vegetation around it — "right down to mineral earth".
"This creates a natural barrier to stop any flames or embers from creeping into nearby bushland," he said. "When it's time to leave your campsite, make sure the fire is fully extinguished — not just doused, but cold to the touch. It's one of the simplest, most effective ways to prevent a dangerous bushfire."
Steam rises when the logs are disturbed, meaning there's still active heat and the fire needs more water to be properly extinguished.
Morris said the fire authorities regularly respond to campfires that have been abandoned or not fully extinguished, particularly in national parks and camping areas. These are often cases where people believed the fire had gone out, only for it to reignite hours or even days later. That's why it's vital, he added, to pull the fire apart before leaving and ensure no heat remains.
The warning comes after a Queensland mum's Easter camping trip turned to horror when her seven-year-old daughter suffered severe burns from a hidden campfire in April.
Ashlea Hodder was packing up at Keelbottom Creek near Mingala, west of Townsville, when her daughter Coral stepped on the remnants of another group's fire.
"We told the kids to go and explore, and [my daughter] walked straight through the fire," Ashlea told Yahoo News. Coral dropped to the ground in pain, burning her hands as well. The little girl now faces a long recovery from third-degree burns.
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