Building a nice, hot campfire isn't something you do once and then walk away. Having a good campfire is an activity. Fires need fuel and air to keep going once they're lit. Any of the above styles of campfire will eventually burn down and collapse, and once that happens, part of the fire can be smothered. If you want to keep a fire going all evening, you literally have to have someone keeping the fire going. You need to add wood when the fire is starting to get low and you need to make sure that there is good airflow to keep the fire hot. Prop logs on top of the current fire so that air can get between them.