Why is it that every time you sit at the campfire, smoke gets in your eyes?

You move to the right and it gets you. So you move to the left and it gets you! But why?

Fire takes in air from all sides. When you sit in front of the fire, the flames suck in the air between you and it. This leaves a vacuum. The smoke will quickly fill this vacuum, therefore "getting smoke in your eyes." When you move out of the way, the same thing happens - more smoke!

To avoid this smoky phenomenon, build your fire near something larger than you and non-flammable. This can be a large rock, or even a dirt mound or sand bank. The larger object should create a greater vacuum, drawing the smoke towards it - not you.

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