Safe chemical reactions to start a campfire I'm looking for a way to start a small fire electronically with widely available chemicals. It would be great if they are safe to use with metals (not necessarily). But the biggest requirement is that it should be SAFE at medium scales and should not make an explosion.
I have found out $\ce{H2SO4 + KMnO4}$ can start a fire. But is it possible to do it with diluted H2SO4 because concentrated is not safe to handle?
NB: I only want a small ignition. The rest can be continued with some fuel, I believe.
Also, I doesn't possibly need to be a chemical reaction. Anything that can trigger a safe fire is enough
Small magnesium metal bars are available commercially, packed with a little iron rod for starting fires. You smack the magnesium with the iron rod and get some sparks. If you have some light fluffy kindling, you are supposed to be able to get a fire going. I suppose a little steel wool would help.
If you soak some cotton balls with KNO$_3$, dry them completely and carry them in a sealed plastic bag, they would make excellent kindling.