Can You Use Mulch Around A Fire Pit?

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Those who care about their gardens may want to have both a wonderful burning fire pit in the summer evenings and a bright, blossoming flower bed. But is it possible to have mulch around your fire pit?

It is not safe to have your fire pit around most mulch because it typically contains many flammable materials, which can be a fire hazard during long, dry seasons.

Most mulch isn’t very appropriate to have anywhere near fire pits, but what is ‘near’? Well, below, we’ll discuss some safe distances and other safety precautions to take if you are going to have mulch and fire pits in the same backyard.

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How Close Should Mulch Be to a Fire Pit?

If you really want to have mulch and a fire pit, you need to make sure you fit into these parameters:

18 millimeters above ground level

10 feet away from anything even remotely flammable – including combustible materials or buildings

It is very important that you follow these precautions – research has been done by the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services that mulch once caused a fire worth approximately 5 million dollars and caused nearly 40 residents to leave their homes.

Some Mulches You Can Safely Use

How dangerous having a fire pit nearby depends on the variety of mulch, of course, because some are made of non-porous stones, pebbles, or glass beads.

Those are not very flammable, but considering the most common mulches consist of pine needles, wooden chips, or even straw, it can be quite dangerous to have a fire pit nearby.

Some alternatives include:

Gravel and rocks, as well as glass beads

Sand
‘Green mulch’ – Moss, lichen, and other small plants can actually be quite effective because they are naturally quite moist and, therefore, fire-resistant. You might have to water them regularly in hot summer seasons to keep the effect.
Brick or concrete pavement

An important point is never to use rubber mulches. They are flammable and catch easily from flying embers, producing hazardous, toxic smoke. If you don’t have one of these mulches available, then the best place to put a fire pit is bare dirt.

Tips For Fire Pit Fire Safety

There are a few things that you can do to make sure that you can use your fire pit safety. We’ll get into some fire pit-specific fire safety, but for now, here are some general safety tips which we recommend you adhere to:

Never, ever leave it burning without someone supervising it.

Do not leave children or pets around the fire pit without supervision.
Do not overfill the fuel in your fire pit (if it’s wood-burning, don’t stack it too high, etc.)
Establish a measurement of fuel to add, which keeps the fire burning at a reasonable level.

Buy a wire mesh to cover the embers inside the fire pit as an extra precaution.
Don’t throw things in the fire haphazardly; it can cause the ash and the embers to fly up.
Avoid damp wood, or it may spark or smoke excessively.

Try to avoid softwoods like cedar or pine because they may also throw sparks out.
Make sure no one around the fire pits is wearing anything loose-fitting or flammable.
Make sure there is always a source of water (bucket, hose, fire extinguisher) at hand just in case something goes wrong.

Remove any dirt or debris around the fire pit – it might cause the fire to spill out.
Clean the fire pit’s inside to ensure there’s no soot or anything caked around the inside that can catch fire.
The inside should be at least 6 inches deep.

Around an hour before you want the fire to go out, stop adding fuel to it.
Never throw, or allow your visitors to throw their cigarettes onto anything flammable.
Make sure to keep outside furniture away from the fire pits if you are not supervising it. They usually have cushions, blankets, or other flammable materials that could light.

These are general tips for fire pit safety, but we have some advice for specific fire pits:

Permanent Fire Pit Tips

Here are some tips for permanent fire pits:

Construct it from proper fire bricks and not regular house bricks; they may be porous, allowing some water inside, and when you heat them, they might explode.

Do not construct a fire pit close to where you plan to lay mulch. (10 feet)
If you have enough space, you need to be 25 feet away from your neighbor’s yard. If not, then at least 10 feet.
Keep any trees well-trimmed so there are no overhanging branches that can catch alight.

Do not place under covered porches or trees unless you really have to.
Build it on a non-flammable surface – such as concrete or patio blocks
Do not build directly on your grass. This, too, may become flammable in long, hot, dry summers.

Portable Fire Pit Tips

And now, in case you have a portable fire pit instead:

Do not place in any area where the fire pit can be easily tipped over by a child, dog (or drunk person!)
Secure it somehow if you can

Make sure that the fire is fully out before you bring them in
Keep the environment clean of any flammable debris (fallen leaves, branches, etc.) Keep them at least 6 feet away from the fire pit.
Never put it around a wooden or covered patio.

Never put it down bare on the grass.
If you need to put the fire pit on a wooden or flammable area, keep it on top of a brick deck – at least 18 millimeters above the ground floor.

After this, we’ll cover other safety precautions surrounding the fire pit:

How Do You Safely Light a Fire Pit?

Like every facet of fire safety, lighting a fire has its own list of do’s and don’ts before you give it a try:

Before you make any attempts to light it, check in what direction the wind is blowing, or it may put the fire out or else spread embers everywhere.
Make sure nothing flammable is downwind just in case it catches on fire

Never use any flammable liquid (such as lighter fluid, gasoline, etc.) to light the fire pits
If you have a wood fire pit, then build the fire as such: paper, kindling, and tinder, with bigger logs on top. Make sure there’s enough space for oxygen to flow through the fire.

How To Safely Extinguish a Fire Pit?

This may be the second most dangerous activity to do with the fire pit, so this also must be treated with caution:

Use a hose or a bucket of water to put out the fire. Be careful not to breathe in the smoke.
Use a shovel to sift around the embers, just to make sure that it is fully put out.
Use the shovel to put the ashes into a metal can.

Dispose of the ash properly.

If you don’t extinguish ashes fast enough, they can still cause fire two or even three days after you lit them. Never toss ashes out on flammable materials.

Conclusion

In conclusion, mulch and fire pits do not mix. Mulch can be incredibly flammable, which means it is a fire hazard when kept within 10 feet of a fire pit. Fire pits must be kept not just 10 feet from mulch but from anything combustible and above 18 millimeters from the ground.

Reference

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