Necessary safety precautions for an outdoor fire pit (s’mores, anybody?) are much the same as for a grill, plus a few others:
• Never leave young children unattended near a fire in the pit.
• Fill a bucket with water and set it next to the pit before you even begin building the fire.
• Avoid throwing leaves, pine cones, pine needles, and paper into the fire. They catch fire quickly and can result in dangerous floating embers.
• Unless there’s an emergency, avoid dumping the entire bucket of water on the fire to put it out. Instead, spread the pieces of fuel as far apart as possible and gently sprinkle water over them until there are no more glowing embers. This prevents the scatter of embers and a thick cloud of smoke.
• Toast your marshmallows over the embers rather than the flames. This not only gives them that perfect golden crust but prevents them from catching on fire.