FIRE PIT!!!

We have decided that our first project is to put in a fire pit on our property. We are going with brick and nothing very fancy. I don't want one of the propane fire pits because of our kids. A few years ago I was on a work retreat and we needed to start a fire in the fire pit. It was a gas fire pit and it was hard to figure out. So, we turned the gas on and were trying to get it started. It took a very long time and finally we shut it off. Then another co-worker said they could figure it out and turned it back on. The problem is that the entire air was filled with gas. The guy put his face down in the pit and light a match and BOOM! He didn't get hurt which I will never understand (definitely a God thing!) but it sure scared everyone!