Do you "start" a fire or "set up" a fire?

Start Set up would be gathering the materials for the fire

"Start" would be most correct. You would usually say that you "light a fire". When you are preparing the wood, you would call that building a fire.  You would also say "Building A Fire" for the entire process. For example: " when we get to the cabin, I'm going to build a fire"= " I'm going to go through the entire process of gathering wood and burning it. "now that we are at the cabin, help me build this fire" = help me gather wood and prepare for lighting the fire. "Now that we've built a fire, I'm going to light it" = starting the fire.  You can also say that someone SET a fire, but that carries the implication that it was done illegally: "The arsonist set a fire in the orphanage"

It's "start"

I would say light a fire, if making one at home in the fireplace, and start a fire if I were an arsonist.

You can "set fire to" something.

Start or set. You can also "get a fire going".

It's been always burning since the world's been turning Though we didn't light it, we've been trying to fight it

I wouldn't say "set up" a fire is incorrect. It's just not as common and creates a bit of a different meaning. If I heard it, I would assume you mean you're gathering the materials and making the fire structure, not lighting the fire itself.

you **build** a fire

setting up a fire makes me think of everything you do before lighting (building sticks into a teepee shape and getting kindling ready etc). then you start/ light the fire

To "set up" a fire would mean that you put the wood or other materials in place, but you did not apply a flame. It is ready to be a fire (but right now it is still wood, paper, or other materials waiting for a flame). To "start" a fire means that the flame is provided and the fire is initiated. edit: "set up" is not a common phrase in this context, but if you said "I am going to set up a fire so we are ready when everyone arrives" I would know what you meant - you are going to set everything so that all we have to do once our friends get to the party is to light the match. edit: to "set fire \[to\]" is different, that means you caused something to be on fire which you did not intend to be included as part of the fire; if we started a fire while camping, and the wind gusted very strong and blew the fire around and all the bushes nearby started burning, then I would say "we accidentally set fire to a forest".

Start a fire and set a fire mean the same. Set *up* a fire means preparing to set a fire

Build a fire

'Set up a fire' is to build a fire, like you would 'set up' a game. 'Start a fire' is to light a fire, like you would 'start' a game. You could correctly say 'I set up and started a fire', meaning 'I built and lit a fire'.

According to prof. E. Type, correct form would be "set on fire". /jk

Put out the fire, it's just water.

I say “lay the fire” if I want someone to set the sticks in place but not light it yet. I guide camping trips all summer so this situation occurs for me with some frequency. “Make a fire” is ambiguous, includes gathering the sticks and lighting the fire, as in “Should we make a fire?” You can say start a fire or light a fire for the initial ignition. Build a fire is adding sticks to a recently started small fire; build up the fire is adding sticks to a fire that is dying down. I can’t think of a situation where I would say set up a fire. However an arsonist could set fire to a building. English is hard! So many expressions.

You can "start" a fire, "build" a fire (which implies more work, like carrying firewood and starting with dry leaves), "light" a fire, or "set" a fire (which, without more context, kind of sounds like you're committing arson). "Set up a fire" isn't a set phrase, but I don't think I would actually notice if someone said it. It just sounds like a way of saying there was some work involved.

Set up a fire would tell me you’re going to stack some wood and kindling in such a way that a spark or small flame would *take* to the wood and not go out. Lighting the fire is *starting* the fire. You can also *set fire to* something, which is maybe where your confusion comes from.

If someone said “go set up a fire” I would assume they meant like get a fire pit ready with wood and kindling but not actually light it.

If I am camping, I build a fire and then I light it. If I am an arsonist, I start a fire. If I have a fireplace in the living room, I light a fire. ——- If the building burns down by accident, it was likely an electrical malfunction that started the fire.

Depends where you are from and what kind of fire it is.

We didn't ~~start~~ set up the fire, it was always burnin', since the world's been turnin'

This is a really great question

Both, lighting it is starting it, but putting the wood in the position you want it to be lit in is setting it up

Normally I light a fire.

"Start" or "set" or "light," but not "set up."

Light a fire = you are setting a fire in a fireplace, or somewhere else there should be fire. Start a fire = you are setting fire to a house, or somewhere else there should not be fire.