I will tell you the weirdest fire I ever saw. My first forge was a frame of angle iron with fire bricks on top. The pot sat in the middle and the sides were just 1x4's screwed to some tabs so the coal would stay off the floor. I used this forge for several years and always shut down the same way - let it cool, tear the coke out and then water it to death. I had been working all day, closed down normally and went home. Next day, went into the shop and smelled burned wood. Looked all over and finally found that all the boards were burned through in several places. Apparently, some coal dust stayed lit and the little cracks between the bricks fed enough air so that the fire marched right across the hearth until it hit the boards and then burned thru them. There was ash all over and on the floor. Sure glad I had a dirt and brick floor.
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