A fire pit is easy to buy and easy to place wrong. The fuel you pick and your city’s rules decide most of it. Here are four top-selling fire pits, how wood and propane differ, and the safety advice from Calgary, Edmonton and the BC government to check before you light one.
Quick answer
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Pick the fuel first. Wood gives you the classic crackle and needs a spark screen and a way to put the fire out close by. Propane lights with a dial and leaves no ash. Then check your city’s distance rule: Calgary’s is at least 2 metres from your house, garage, fence or property line, and Edmonton’s is 3 metres from buildings and property lines.
A simple place to start: the Ninja Fireside360, ranked #3 in Outdoor Fire Pits when we checked. It runs on propane, and its product page lists flame, heat or both. Want wood? The Yaheetech 24-inch hex pit is ranked #1 and comes with a spark screen.
Four fire pits, by how you’ll use them
| Product | Best for | |
|---|---|---|
| Ninja Fireside360 (OF101C) | Best for a patio where you want a flame and heat from one unit. #3 in Outdoor Fire Pits when we checked. A propane fire pit and patio heater with three modes (flame, heat or both) and 80,000 BTUs, at 21.8 kg, per the product page. The box list shows a battery, ceramic rocks and a quick-start guide, with no propane tank. Skip it if you want a wood fire: it runs on propane only. | See price |
| Arlopu 30-inch propane fire pit table | Best for a deck or patio where you want a gas flame at table height. #10 in Outdoor Fire Pits when we checked. The product page lists 50,000 BTU, CSA certification, a hidden space for a 20 lb propane tank, and 4.18 lbs of lava stone, in a 76 cm square body. Skip it if you want to move your fire pit around: the tank sits inside the table. | See price |
| Yaheetech 24-inch hex fire pit | Best for a first wood-burning fire pit in a small yard or patio. #1 in Outdoor Fire Pits when we checked. A metal pit with a spark screen and poker, burning charcoal or firewood, 61 cm wide and 62.2 cm tall, per the product page. Skip it if you want no smoke and no ash: it burns charcoal or firewood. | See price |
| Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 with stand | Best for a portable wood fire with less smoke. #12 in Outdoor Fire Pits when we checked. Stainless steel, just over 20 pounds, with a removable ash pan and a carry case. The product page says its double-wall design reduces smoke. Skip it if you want a big fire for a crowd: it’s 49.5 cm across. | See price |
Specs come from the retailer’s product pages and can change, so check the current page before you order.
Wood or propane: which fire pit?
Wood pits burn clean, dry firewood or charcoal. They give you real flames and crackle, but they make smoke and ash. Calgary notes that smoke can affect some people’s health, and that high winds can carry smoke a long way. Propane pits light with a dial and don’t leave ash, but you need a propane tank and a safe place to keep it.
How far from your house should a fire pit be?
It depends on your city, so check your own rules. Two examples:
- Calgary’s rule: keep a fire pit at least 2 metres from your property line, house, garage or fence, and not under trees, branches or plants that can catch fire.
- Edmonton’s fire pit safety sheet: at least 10 feet (3 metres) from buildings and property lines, and the same distance from overhead power lines and combustibles such as trees.
- On size, Calgary limits fires to 1 metre high and wide. Edmonton’s sheet caps the pit at 0.6 metres high and 1 metre wide.
How do you use a wood fire pit safely?
Advice from Calgary and Edmonton:
- Use a mesh screen or spark guard with openings of about 1.25 cm (half an inch) or smaller. Calgary requires one on wood-burning pits.
- Burn only clean, dry firewood. Calgary’s list of what not to burn: painted, treated, glued or resinous wood, wet or green wood, yard waste, garbage, rubber and plastic.
- Keep a hose or a bucket of water close by, and never leave the fire unattended. Edmonton adds to keep children and pets from standing too close.
- A portable pit can go on a deck only if it sits on brick or stone, not directly on wood (Calgary’s rule).
- Let ashes cool completely, then put them in a covered metal container at least 3 metres (10 feet) from your home and other buildings, per Edmonton’s safety sheet.
- Check the fire ban status before every fire, and avoid burning on windy, dry days.
How do you use a propane fire pit safely?
Advice from Calgary and the BC government:
- Soap-test the connections at the start of each season: mix 1/3 liquid dish soap with 2/3 water and apply it to the hose. Bubbles or a propane smell mean a leak (Calgary’s method).
- If you smell propane, leave the area, call 911, and shut the tank valve (turn it clockwise) if it’s safe to do so.
- Keep the area around the appliance clear so plenty of air can reach the burner.
- Store propane cylinders in a protected, well-ventilated place above ground, never indoors, and always keep them upright, per the BC government.
- Replace or re-qualify a cylinder that’s damaged or more than 10 years old.
Common questions
Is the Ninja Fireside360 a heater or a fire pit? Its product page calls it a smokeless fire pit and patio heater, with three modes: flame only, heat only, or both.
Does a propane tank come with it? The Ninja’s box list shows a battery, ceramic rocks and a quick-start guide, with no tank. The Arlopu page says its table body is designed to hold a 20 lb propane tank.
Is a propane fire pit certified? The Arlopu product page says it has CSA certification. The Ninja product page doesn’t mention a certification, so ask the seller or check the box.
Can I light one during a fire ban? Check the fire ban status before every fire, as Calgary advises. Its page has no separate rules for propane pits, so ask your local fire department before you light either type.
Before you buy
- Choose your fuel: wood for crackle and smoke, propane for a dial and no ash.
- Look up your city’s fire pit rules for distance, size and fire bans.
- Compare the pit’s size with your city’s limit before you order.
- For wood, make sure the pit has a spark screen, and keep water close by.
- For propane, plan where the tank will live: outdoors, upright, never inside.
- Want an extinguisher near the patio door? Our fire extinguisher guide covers the label to look for.
Sources: City of Calgary, Fire pit safety; City of Edmonton, Fire pit safety sheet; City of Calgary, Propane storage and usage; BC government, Propane safety brochure. Product details come from the manufacturers’ and retailer’s product pages, so check the current page before you order.
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