When was fire first discovered?

Archaeologists discovered evidence of human-made fire stemming from cave campfires dating back 1 million years ago. The remains of campfires were found in a cave in the Northern Cape province of South Africa.

Among the evidence found in the cave were carbonized fragments of leaves and twigs, along with plant ash and pieces of animal bones. Researchers ruled out the possibility that the burnt matter was blown into the cave by the wind, stating that it was clear from the consistency of the fire remnants and debris that the fires had been started by and controlled by the cave's human inhabitants.