How to Build a Keyhole Firepit

Select the proper location for your keyhole fire pit. Keep your fire pit away from any overhanging tree limbs, power lines, drooping tent canopies or any other combustible material. Stay at least 15 to 20 feet away from trees, and don't dig your fire pit near exposed tree roots. The fire can follow the roots back to the tree. Clear the area around your keyhole fire pit site of any combustible material, such as dry grass, twigs, wood and paper.

Layout your keyhole fire pit. This type of fire pit gets its name from its shape, which looks like a keyhole with a large circle attached to a narrow trench. The size of the fire you need will determine the size of your fire pit, but the circle and the trench should be proportionate. Dig the circle and trench deep enough to safely contain the fire. State and local governments may have specific requirements for fire pit depth. Outline the keyhole fire pit with medium-sized rocks. Keep the dirt you excavated from the fire pit in a pile nearby to help extinguish the fire and to fill in the fire pit once you are finished with it.

Build a teepee-style fire in the circle portion of your keyhole fire pit. As the fire burns down to coals, scrape some of the coals into the trench portion of the fire pit. Continue feeding the circle with wood and moving the coals into the trench. The fire in the circle portion of the fire pit provides heat and light while the coals in the trench provide the steady heat needed for cooking.