Archaeologists at South Africa's Wonderwerk Cave recently discovered what could be the earliest evidence of a controlled fire, dating back a million years. However, there are no signs that the cave's resident hominids built a fire pit or a hearth. For that, scientists point to the 750,000-year-old Gesher Benot Ya'aqov site in Israel, where clusters of burned grain, bones, seed, and wood suggest humans made fires in specific spotsperhaps using hearths.
Nowadays we mostly use campfires in extreme cases of survival or simply just for fun. Backyard chimineas and fire pits have enjoyed a recent surge in popularity, though they provide little usable heat, are smoky, and are rarely used for cooking.