This recipe is meant to be as simple, reliable, and cost-effective as possible, and has been extensively field-tested. It does not require technical expertise, hopefully avoiding the specialization found in old manuals that would have the aspiring arsonist first become an amateur chemist or electrician. These devices are meant to be produced in bulk with extremely common and inexpensive materials. They are also designed for reliability in the field — even in wet and windy conditions — in order to minimize the possibility of an unignited device being left behind. Relight candles are very reliable but should technically be watched to ensure they do not go out and fail to relight within the first 60 seconds. This design does not incorporate any redundancy, so we recommend placing two complete devices next to each other if possible. The time-delay provided is about 5-7 minutes, which is sufficient time to leave the area in most scenarios.
Disclaimer: We are publishing this recipe out of context during a moment of potential social unrest, in hopes of saving our fellow anarchists and anti-colonial fighters some time and headaches when learning to construct an incendiary device for the first time. While there is nothing particularly original contained here, please use this information wisely, and always take appropriate precautions when planning attacks.
Ingredients:
- -bulk 16oz water bottles wrapped in plastic (be sure to discard the outer rows of bottles that are not fully covered)
- –synthetic firestarter cubes (not “natural” ones)
- –14″ – 18″ cable ties (aka zipties), or rubber bands
- -12oz of gasoline (or your accelerant(s) of choice) per 16oz water bottle
- –relight candles – trick birthday candles with a magnesium wick. to be sure you have the right candles, the packaging should indicate that they must be fully submerged in water for 5 minutes to extinguish.
Equipment:
- -table
- -shower curtain or tablecloth
- -scissors
- -trash bags
- -knife
- -gas can
- -funnel
- -lighters, of course!
PPE:
- -dishwashing gloves, or any other gloves with a thick, impermeable coating
- -N95 or KN95 masks
- -shower caps, or any other type of cap to cover hair
- -safety goggles
- -coveralls, or new clothing made of materials that do not attract hair
Instructions:
- Buy (IN CASH ONLY) or steal all of the ingredients, equipment, and PPE. Try not to get too many items at the same time or at the same store. Make sure to wear a mask and hat/hood while shopping. Do not touch any of the actual items you will use, only the packaging.
- Choose a spot outdoors where no one will see you, or else use a new tent, newly cracked squat, hotel room/Airbnb, etc.
- Have a friend be your assistant while you construct the devices. The assistant will don their PPE first, then help you with yours. You will avoid touching anything other than the actual ingredients and completed devices.
- The assistant will use the scissors to remove items from packaging. They set up the table and cover it with the shower curtain or tablecloth (trash bags are also fine). The table is now considered “clean” and the assistant will avoid touching the table again.
- The assistant cuts each item (except for the candles) out of its packaging and dumps it out on the table or other clean surface (like the ground), without touching the items. They set aside the outer rows of water bottles that were not covered by the plastic wrapping. They discard all packaging into a trash bag. If any item is accidentally contaminated, it should also be discarded.
- Use the knife to cut a hole in the center of each firestarter. This is where the candle will go, so you may want to open a pack of candles and use one to check that it fits in the hole, and adjust accordingly.
- Remove the caps from the water bottles. Have the assistant use the gas can to pour the gasoline (or your accelerant(s) of choice) into each water bottle, while you hold the bottle and funnel. Fill the bottle only about 3/4 of the way to leave space for fumes. Replace the caps. You may want to turn each bottle upside-down to make sure it is properly closed and not leaking.
- Place two bottles next to each other and secure a firestarter to the center of the two bottles using two cable ties or rubber bands. Cable ties are sturdier, but rubber bands will stretch with the bottle if it deforms over time. (Either way, these connectors will probably break before the firestarter burns down into the bottles, so be careful not to place the device in such a precarious way that the bottles will roll apart from each other.) Repeat until you run out of ingredients! 1
- Put the completed devices into trash bags for storage and transport. You can do this yourself or have the assistant hold the trash bags open for you. Do not store for too long or the bottles will deform and leak.
- Remove PPE and excess ingredients, combine them with your other trash and burn it all (it’s all plastic, try not to breathe it in).
- To use the devices, remove them from the trash bags while wearing a new set of PPE, open a package of candles, push the candles into the holes, and light. Glance back after 60 seconds to make sure they’re all still lit.
Happy Birthday!
Placement 101:
Tires and upholstery are ideal because they serve as a secondary source of fuel after the accelerant is used up.
Cars/Trucks:
- -Under the back tire nearest the fuel tank, under a front tire, or both.
- -On the seats if the windows are open/broken.
Heavy Equipment:
- -On the seat in the operator cab – make sure that the door stays open for airflow!
- -Directly under the engine if you can access it.
- -Other placements vary by machine and will hopefully be elaborated upon in a future text.
Buildings:
- -On the lid of a 5-gallon bucket filled with ~3.5 gallons of accelerant (consider mixing gasoline 50/50 with a slower-burning fuel like diesel) and placed in an interior corner.
- -On (or directly under) upholstered and/or wooden furniture, ideally also placed in a corner.
Submitted Anonymously Over Email
Two suggestions from separate anonymous submission:
A 5/32 inch drill bit makes a perfect fitting hole for the candle. you can also adjust the depth of the candle in the hole to shorten the delay
Two additional zip ties one near the top of the bottle and one near the bottom can keep the bottles together longer to avoid rolling. Try to use the outermost grooves
- Note from a separate anonymous submission: Rubber bands should not be used because their elastic tension can cause them to fly out of the fire area when they break. You can also use a third cable tie that isn’t in close proximity to the firestarter to help hold the bottles together until the firestarter burns into both of them. Alternatively, square bottles won’t roll, but they’re harder to find in bulk, wrapped in plastic. <3
Source: Scenes from the Atlanta Forest