Cooking is an essential part of a true camping experience. However, fire and the outdoors usually don't mix well and if you are not careful, it could result in a bush fire.

Below are some pointers to keep in mind when doing cooking outdoors.

Clear cooking area of dry/dead vegetation
Clear all dead branches and leaves with a 2 meter radius of where you intend to cook to avoid them catching on fire.

Avoid starting your fire directly under low lying trees
They could catch fire if they are too close and usually there are roots around trees making it difficult to dig. Also they will reduce ventilation and thereby bring in the possibility of smoke poisoning.

Keep some water on stand by to control the fire
The fire could get out of hand, so having water on stand by will help ensure safety. If you are on or near a sandy location, sand can also help put out a fire.

Never leave the fire unattended
Keep fire away from tents and do not start one inside your tent.

Avoid bee hives and ant nests
You could provoke an attack by starting a fire near one.

Never let the fire get out of control
Reduce the size of the fire by removing some wood if it gets too big

Avoid open windy places
Wind could stroke your fire out of control. If you decide to set a fire in a windy location, use stones to shelter the fire from some of the wind.

Cover your fire pit when you leave
Douse your fire and cover the pit with earth before you leave. A fire can restart from embers if you are not careful. You can douse a fire by pouring water slowly and spreading out the embers (or tossing it about). If you have enough water, flood the pit of embers and stir it. This should cool down all embers. Check and ensure the fire is fully out before leaving.

The best way to check that the ambers are truly dead is to bring you hand close to the embers, if you can still feel heat, they are not fully dead.

Avoid Starting a Fire in Dry Conditions
If you know that there has been very little rain recently and you can see signs of it (for example, grass is yellow or dead), do not start a fire. The risk of a bush fire is far greater during such conditions.

Don't Burn Anything Dangerous
A non exhaustive list includes gas canisters, flamable liquids (these make you fire unusable for cooking as they are poisonous), spray cans, lighters, batteries and plastics.

Note:

Starting an open fire is an offense in most parks in Singapore. Only start fires on areas that you are allowed to do so.
Leave the area as you found it. Do not leave unsightly burnt wood lying on the surface of the soil. Cover it up with dirt. If possible, practise turfing. Practice the philosophy of low impact camping when in the outdoors.