Disclaimer: This is not to light a fire in the woods to camp and boil water with. This is to light the logs in your fireplace at home.

And be careful. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

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First thing...

Open your flue. I know you checked, but the fireplace in my house growing up had a flue that you thought you opened until the house filled with smoke.

So check it twice.

Next, for what you're trying to accomplish, we'd always fill that space under the grate with newspaper. I mean pack that sucker full. Tons. Not so it's spilling into your living room, but full of it all wadded up into "balls". You don't need to roll them into logs or shred them into feather sticks... they'll catch better as wadded balls.

Then put your logs on the grate. Don't worry about kindling, that's the newspaper.

Then light the paper in several places.

You want enough paper to engulf the logs in flame.

When the flame's gone down enough to get close to the fire, get low and blow hard at the base of the paper, before it all turns to ash.

Be careful. Do I have to say that? Be careful.

My dad would get frustrated every time my mom asked him to build a fire. I'd come in, he'd say "You don't need that much paper!"

Boom!

Fire.

After a while everyone just asked me to do it and that's my formula.

Boom!

Fire.

However, I haven't tried that in 15 years (married and don't have a fireplace in my condo).

Have fun.