If you are lost and and on your last legs, burn the damn woods down. They will find you in a hurry with the woods on fire.
Here is the kind of idiot who lights a signal fire that burns down more than the idiots life was worth, and killed 15 innocent people.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedar_Fire
The Cedar Fire was started by Sergio Martinez of West Covina, California who claimed he was hunting in the area and had become lost (for a single afternoon). At first he claimed the fire was started accidentally by a gunshot but later said he started the fire to signal rescuers. Martinez was charged on October 7, 2004 in federal court with setting the fire and lying about it.[12] On March 10, 2005, Martinez pleaded guilty to deliberately setting fire to timber in the plea bargain under which the charge of lying to a federal officer was dropped
Parenthetical remark my own.