We had some dandy bonfires out on the artillery range. It didn't matter how wet the wood, just cut open a couple of unused powder increments and sprinkle them around.
We had one fire so big, you had to stay 20 feet away from it because of the heat. But it attracted bugs from miles around. They'd be flying way above the visible flames, but the heat was so intense they'd catch fire, and crash into the fire. It was neat.
I loved those powder burns... give yuh an idea of what hell is... heh heh... kamikaze bugs...