# How long will an ember last in a brand new fire pit? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 27, 2010, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-will-an-ember-last-in-a-brand-new-fire-pit/548198 "2010-07-27T16:52:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-will-an-ember-last-in-a-brand-new-fire-pit/548198/1 "2010-07-27T16:52:40Z")
I just built this new [Firepit](http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/Phlosphr/firepit.jpg) and it is rather large: 3.5 feet across 3 foot deep. Had a big fire in it the other night and this morning there are still hot embers in it. Living in a moderate to high fire danger area I am wondering how long will these embers last? The logs I had in there are basically gone, the rest is white ash, but under that there are still hot embers? Are there factors influencing this? How long could pine embers feasibly burn? ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-will-an-ember-last-in-a-brand-new-fire-pit/548198/2 "2010-07-27T17:01:22Z")
A long time. You really need to soak it in water. Fires out in Nevada are not officially declared out until the first snowfall. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-will-an-ember-last-in-a-brand-new-fire-pit/548198/3 "2010-07-27T17:04:39Z")
Yeah, I was astonished this morning to see an ember still burning. I did soak it directly after. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-will-an-ember-last-in-a-brand-new-fire-pit/548198/4 "2010-07-27T17:12:12Z")
In my experience the volume of the original fire, the amount of material provided for the burn, is one of the biggest factors. With that volume an overabundance of ash provides an insulating blanket, thus allowing embers to smoulder at temps hot enough to re-enable ignition for quite some time. If you stir them up and expose them to the atmosphere they’ll exhaust their heat more rapidly. If you leave them covered they’ll simmer for much longer, depending. I can’t think of any reason the age/newness of the firepit would come into play though. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-will-an-ember-last-in-a-brand-new-fire-pit/548198/5 "2010-07-27T17:15:32Z")
My fire pit is 6 feet across and I have built some amazingly large fires in it. Since open burning is not allowed in my area during the summer, I need a place to burn dead trees I have cut up as well as underbrush I have to deal with after the long winter. I have seen some embers last 3 or 4 days, even after being doused at one point with water, The longevity may be related to the kind of wood I am burning, mainly birches and firs, and the fact that there is very little moisture in the air where I live… Since we live adjacent to the Flathead National Forest I have to be careful that my burning doesn’t ignite a forest fire. Since it can get pretty gusty at night I have to make sure the embers are under control before I go to bed! ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-will-an-ember-last-in-a-brand-new-fire-pit/548198/6 "2010-07-27T17:25:01Z")
Me too, I live at 8200 ft, just west of Denver and it’s pretty dry up here and the wind tends to blow hard in the early morning late afternoon…I’ll check it again this evening… ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-will-an-ember-last-in-a-brand-new-fire-pit/548198/7 "2010-07-27T17:31:21Z")
hours before you want to stop monitoring the fire you should rake the embers to the surface, keep knocking the ash off them and let them consume. use water until it is cool to your hand inches away. if you were to leave it before cool then at least cover with a layer of sand. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-will-an-ember-last-in-a-brand-new-fire-pit/548198/8 "2010-07-27T17:38:09Z")
Definitely days. I’ve uncovered glowing embers that could be coaxed back to flame over 24 hours after extinguishing a fire in a big pit, and found some almost a week after a forest fire. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-will-an-ember-last-in-a-brand-new-fire-pit/548198/9 "2010-07-27T18:04:04Z")
I have worked in the fire community for years. In many places I have worked (Alaska, Washington) fires have held over underground and started the next spring. When we “mop up” a fire we generally try to add water (if available) and stir up and expose all the heat. Then we run the back of our hand around in the dirt looking for hot spots. A fire is not out until its cold and out. If your fire pit is contained on all sides throw a bucket of water in it and stir, keep light grasses and weeds at least three feet away, and keep your wood pile away from the fire and your house. ---
**Author:** ![newme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e0b2c6/32.png) [@newme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newme)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-will-an-ember-last-in-a-brand-new-fire-pit/548198/10 "2010-07-28T02:48:45Z")
I live near a National Forest. This spring, I was hiking through a controlled burn which had happened 27 days earlier. A 100 feet long pine tree, which at the time of the fire was standing but dead, had fallen due to the fire and was still smoldering, and had about 6 feet of wood still unburned.