How To Start A Fire With One Match

If you’re new to fire building, it can be frustrating. I used to go through an entire book of matches before I’d get a fire lit! Today, you’re going to learn how to build a fire in a wood stove with one match! It’s easy!

However, if you are sourcing the wood yourself, there are a few important things to note like what type of wood burns best and how to know when it is ready to burn.

Best Firewood to Burn in Home

According to The Spruce, “Hardwoods such as maple, oak, ash, birch, and most fruit trees are the best-burning woods that will give you a hotter and longer burn time.”

I use mesquite in my wood stove because it is widely available and free. In fact mesquite is considered invasive where I live, so culling their numbers is encouraged.

How Long to Season Firewood After Splitting?

The Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency says, “Wait at least 6 months and up to 12 months for dry firewood depending on the type of wood. Hardwoods like oak and maple dry more slowly than softwoods like pine and spruce. To ensure dry firewood, wait at least 12 months before burning. To test, bang two pieces together; dry wood sounds hollow, and wet wood sounds dull.”

Buy Firewood

You can always buy firewood if it is too much of a hassle to cut, split, and season your own!

Best Kindling for Wood Stove

Kindling refers to the smaller sticks that you will need to start your fire. You can find kindling pretty much anywhere there are trees. 

The best kindling for a wood stove fire is any group of sticks that are dry and dead. You can determine if kindling sticks will burn well by how they break. If kindling tends to bend without breaking, it is not ready to burn. However, if the stick snaps easily, it should make a great fire starter.

Gather sticks of tiny width and sticks of greater width, as seen in the picture below.

How To Start A Fire In A Wood Stove
Gather dry sticks in 2 different thickness sizes: some very thin and some thicker. Make sure they are NOT green or yellow on the inside. They should snap easily.

How to Start a Fire in a Wood Stove with One Match

The rest of the instructions for how to start a fire in a wood stove will be explained with photos and photo captions as seen below. 

Burned Wood
Previously burned wood is helpful but not necessary. A regular block of wood will work. All wood and kindling must be dry and old (seasoned).

What Type of Paper to Burn in Wood Stove?

When I bought my wood stove, the salesman told me that the only type of paper I should be burning in it is newspaper. Sorry, Garfield! 

I use free weekly newspapers and snag them from my in-laws as well.

Wood Stove Fire
Shred the newspaper into thin, long strips and bunch it around the piece of wood.
How To Start A Fire In A Wood Stove
Set up the tiny sticks around the newspaper and wood block leaving lots of space between sticks and newspaper for airflow.
How To Start A Fire In A Wood Stove
Light the newspaper on fire. Monitor the flame and help it spread around the base of the sticks by using extra pieces of newspaper to spread the flame. Blowing on the flames also helps them spread.
Fire In Wood Stove
When the large block of wood has caught on fire, set bigger sticks on the flame. Stack them carefully with adequate spacing, and never smother the airflow!
Fire
Shut the door and leave the vent open.
How To Start A Fire In A Wood Stove
When the big block of wood has burned for a while, the flames will die, and coals will form. Break up the coals with a fire poker or another block of wood.
Fire
It is normal for the flames to die in a wood stove. The coals are what keep the house warm! Periodically add blocks of wood, one or two at a time, to keep the coals burning.
How To Start A Fire In A Wood Stove
Leave the door shut with the vent open to keep the coals warm. Add wood to the coals periodically to keep the house warm. Close the vent if you want the coals to die.

Stay Warm!

Learning to build and maintain a fire in a wood stove can be difficult at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s easy! 

Stay warm! Thanks for reading! Please share this post!