A fire-starter cube has a combustible box housing having a bottom, four sides and a lid, a crib of stacked wooden slats, the slats arranged around a central chimney, a plurality of openable doors within the sides configured to admit fresh air, a knock-out on the lid configured to permit the exhaust of hot gases, the removal of the knock-out providing an opening to the chimney, wherein as the cube burns, the fresh air enters the doors and exits from the opening, and wherein the air forms a vortex within the chimney. In an embodiment the cube has wooden shavings within the chimney. The doors may be perforated on three sides and the opening of the doors is selectable by a user. The heat of the burning cube bakes the slats before they ignite. In an embodiment, the lid releasably locks onto the sides of the box.