When you're in the midst of an area fire, it's hard to breathe, much less think. As a veteran of the devastating Waldo Canyon and Black Forest fires in Colorado Springs, I can attest to that. Australia has always had it rough regarding bushfires, and while many eyes are turned to the active bushfire in southwest Sydney right now, it's important to be prepared for an emergency no matter where you live.

After the explosion of an iPhone inside an Apple Store, resulting in a few minor injuries, you might be wondering, "Oh crap, how do I stop my smartphone/laptop/robot dog from burning my house down?" Instead of running for dear life, or dousing your device with spring water, here are the steps you should follow to properly extinguish a battery-related fire (and why you should save that Pellegrino as a last resort).

When you live in a bushfire-prone area you can’t ignore the danger. Most individuals and families address this necessity by preparing a bushfire survival plan. The best way to survive a bushfire is not to be there when it arrives - but what if you left it too late and are stuck at home?

Here are some survival tips for this terrifying last resort.

A lot of people have strong feelings about flag burning. It's often considered to be the ultimate unpatriotic act or even a precursor to violence. If you really want people to think you hate your country -- burning the flag will usually do it. But regardless of the social and political implications of the act, is flag burning actually illegal?

Just because your apartment wasn't the one on fire, doesn't mean you don't need to do a ton of cleaning afterwards. Here's what you can do to minimise the odour.

There are few cartoon tropes as ubiquitous as killing ants with a magnifying glass. But if you don't have a glass, you can always just use the next best thing: A Ziploc bag and some water.

Good kindling makes starting any type of fire easier, whether it's your barbecue, fire pit, or a campfire under the stars. These compact fire-starter pills make for great kindling and are super easy to make.

Camping stoves aren't outrageously expensive, but if you find yourself in need of one where you can't buy it, Make shows you how to build your own with a bunch of off the shelf stuff.

If you haven't watered your Christmas tree since you forgot about it on Boxing Day, now is the time to get it out of your house. Unwatered Christmas trees are a huge fire hazard, as this video from the US National Fire Protection Association clearly shows.

If you're a grilling newbie, you probably use the "toss in charcoal, lighter fluid, light it up" method, but better grilling comes with learning to bank coals and the benefits of direct and indirect heat. This guide walks you through -- and how to set up your grill accordingly.

Packing a cheap lighter with your outdoor gear is always a good idea. Even if it runs out of fuel or the plastic casing breaks, it's still a great fire-starting tool.

A Current Affair recently published a story titled Candle Warning that had all of the customary fear mongering flair that its brand has become synonymous with. The subject -- exploding glass candles and how they’re a danger to your home. Three minutes of concerned mothers, hidden video cameras and a few tips on how to avoid burning your house down and you have yourself some glorious Facebook clickbait.

I worked for a candle company for a number of years and I can confirm that candle explosions are quite a legitimate problem. I can also attest that most of the time these incidents occur due to a lack of education or common sense. Here’s the thing, scented candles are a lovely luxury but they still involve fire; something that is always potential danger when you’re not careful.

It's not the most practical thing in the world, but if you've never eaten meat cooked slowly, roasted over a fire, you're missing out. This video from ChefSteps shows you how you can turn the fireplace you have at home into a roaring fire pit, perfect for roasting meat -- or a whole pig.

If you spend any appreciable amount of time in the kitchen you will, at one point or another, be confronted with a kitchen fire. Dumping buckets of water on the situation is almost never a great idea, but luckily Bon Appetit has some tips on how to prevent and handle various kitchen fires.

If you ever need to use your fire extinguisher, you probably want it to work. The powder in some extinguishers can settle and harden at the bottom, making them unusable. To prevent this, conduct some quick maintenance every six months or so.

Extended-reach lighters are great for lighting barbecues, campfires, and candles, but they can get expensive. This video explains how to open one up and replace the empty lighter fluid reservoir so you can save a few dollars.

Fires in Western Australia last week have killed four people after catastrophic fire conditions in the region near Esperance. All the victims reportedly died in vehicles. Australians are still underprepared for bushfires. With fire seasons getting longer thanks to climate change we need to look at why people are still dying in fires, and what you can do to get prepared.

Thin wood shavings make the best tinder. The next time you go camping, consider throwing a pencil sharpener in your pack.

Blair's "Ultra Death" Sauce is a chili sauce with a Scoville rating of 1,100,000 heat units -- that's 900 times hotter than a jalapeno chili. In the following video, we taste-test this bottled magma with Jolokia Pepper extreme-heat potato chips. (Darwin Awards, here we come!)