I didn’t know rocks could explode from a hot fire
@shaggin (75481)
United States
September 25, 2026 9:16pm CST
My husband took apart an old swingset and tossed it in the burn pit as well as many scrap pieces of wood from building my daughter a playhouse. There was also pieces of old window frames etc.
So while he was working and Little E was at school yesterday I started a fire to burn up all that wood in the pit.
The burn pit is what is left of a stone barbecue pit built in the 50s I believe.
Wood pops and dried out knotweed can be quite loud too but the pops that started once this was burning was crazy. This fire was hotter than anything I have ever created (I just do paper and cardboard etc). Then rocks started exploding and flying out all helter skelter. I was so thankful I didn’t wait for Little E to get home to do this with me.
One of the rocks broke in two and one part flew about 30 feet the other about 50. I didn’t measure so this is an estimate but I was shocked. Lesson learned let my husband deal with the burn pile he created from now on.
Photo is of a zinnia Little E planted.
14 people like this
14 responses
@shaggin (75481)
• United States
26 Sep
@snowy22315 thank you me too! I was hiding behind boxes and my husbands grill 
.
.2 people like this
@shaggin (75481)
• United States
26 Sep
@Shavkat my husband said it was because the wood got so hot. He said he wouldn’t have left it so high while burning it. I did take some of it out but it was to heavy so I left the rest. I told him next time to put it on the side not fill up the burn pit. I’ve asked him that a few times and he does it anyway. So from now on if he does that I won’t burn it I’ll leave it for him to take care of
1 person likes this
@Deepizzaguy (126665)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
26 Sep
I did not know that rocks and explode in a fire.
2 people like this
@shaggin (75481)
• United States
26 Sep
@Deepizzaguy I didn’t know that either. In all the years I’ve burned garbage that has never happened but my fires never got as hot as this one filled with wood.
2 people like this
@celticeagle (195938)
• Boise, Idaho
26 Sep
It depends on what the rock is made of. Different elements can conbust.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (75481)
• United States
27 Sep
@celticeagle from what I read the rocks can hold water and then when they get really hot they can explode. I think it was bluestone which was the most common rock around here for building things but I’m not positive.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (195938)
• Boise, Idaho
28 Sep
@shaggin .........I wonder this rock is commonly used if it can explode.
1 person likes this
@toniganzon (82840)
• Philippines
26 Sep
I didn't know too. That must have really surprised you a lot.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (75481)
• United States
26 Sep
@toniganzon it did. I texted my husband and asked what in the world was in the burn pit.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (75481)
• United States
26 Sep
@wolfgirl569 thank you me too. Had Little E been running around she could have gotten hurt by the exploding rocks.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (102263)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
26 Sep
You were luck not to get hit, I never heard of such a thing,
1 person likes this
@shaggin (75481)
• United States
27 Sep
@RasmaSandra I had not either but my husband did. I read up on it afterwards how water will be trapped in rocks and explode under high heat.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (391243)
• Rockingham, Australia
27 Sep
That's a pretty zinnia.
In the old days, settlers would light fires on large, flat rocks (meaning really large) then throw a bucket of water on the hot rock and sections would split off and then be used for building or whatever. Here is a photo of walls of a sheep-yard built from such pieces.
1 person likes this
