I don't mean to offend Californians here. We get a certain type of Californian (usually from So Cal)that moves up here and make themselves obnoxious and unwanted. Obviously if you're a homesteader type here on Ht you'd know better than to throw diesel on a fire.
Local scuttlebutt is saying it's a Californian. I'm sure it will come out whomit is eventually. And no...we might have idiots but they aren't the "start an indoor fire with diesel" type of idiot. Most northern Idahoans are pretty savvy about that kind of thing.
Can't say I've ever tried to 'fire-up' a fireplace with diesel (used those briquette starters on occasion - white blocks). I am curious how much she used.
Can't say I've ever tried to 'fire-up' a fireplace with diesel (used those briquette starters on occasion - white blocks). I am curious how much she used.
I'm guilty of using a little accelerant if I grab some damp wood and I'm too stubborn and cold to redo it.
A capful is all I'll throw in, one at a time until I get it going good, and even then I know I'm "playing with fire".
At least she has sence enough not to use gasoline. Watched a you tube a few days ago, fellow was useing diesel to get the fire going and was saying to never ever use gasoline.
We used diesel and TB to start the fires in VN to burn crap in half barrels.
My goober neighbor used gas on dry pine needles. Pine needles burn hot and easily if even a bit wet. When we heard the "woof" turned around and the top of his hair was smoking.
Just turned around again. I mean really what could one say. We used to always have roof fires in the fall. No one cleaned off their roof of needles, would light their first fall fire and catch the roof on fire.. But that was pre metal roofing we have now.
In my mind I'm seeing a doofus with a yellow fuel container, slopping fuel over the wood, leaving a trail of diesel leading back to the container which is sitting maybe 6'-8' in front of the fireplace. After the fire ran that dribble trail to the fuel canister, it was all over. At least they were honest about it.
Yes plenty of fools kill themselves with woodstoves, but a woodstove is just a little harder to splatter fuel into.
Maybe cub scouts should be mandatory so some of the naturally selected can learn a few survival skills, like fire starting.
Made me think about my Grandfather. He would shell out the corn for his chickens, then save the cobs. He would keep one cob soaking in a can of "coal oil", and another cob that had been soaked, in a can to drip-dry. He would use drip-dried cob each day to light the wood cook stove so Grandma could start breakfast.
They also had a kerosene stove in the living room, and Grandma canned using a kerosene burner stove on the back porch.
As a child and old Athabascan Indian taught me "the Indian fire starting trick. "
He built a pile of firewood head high
Then doused it with a can of blazo (gas)
Stood back and tossed a match on it
It blew him head over heels I caught his hat.
He walked over to me grabed this hat and told me
"The trick is to have somebody to catch your hat"
I’ve seen the exact thing just down the road. City people come to camp in the middle of winter and try to start a fire in the woodstoce with wet wood. Then resorted to Coleman lamp fuel. Yup -entire place up in flames.
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