Confused

[Xander]

So I got food poisoning from eating raw deer meat, now I only have 4 hours left to live. I tried to start a fire to make tea but I don’t have anything to start a fire with, it says “insufficient materials to create a fire” I have tinder, 4LITERS potable water, and accelerant. Any help? 

[Vince 49]

Do you have firewood?

[mfuegemann]

Do You have matches, a magnifying glass or a flare?
Sticks also count as firewood. If in such a desperate situation, use the accelerant by activating it at the 4th box.

[UTC-10]

The left-hand side of the start a fire screen lists three necessary items:  fire starting device, tinder, fuel, and as an optional fourth item fire accelerant. The first three are necessary for to light a fire (at level 3 Fire Starting the tinder requirement becomes optional).  The absence of any of the three necessary items means no fire. 

Fire starting device includes matches (cardboard and wood), fire striker, and magnifying lens.  Most modes start the character with a box of wood matches but having a fire starting device is absolutely essential to survival. 

Tinder tends to be easily acquired - convert newsprint, stacks of papers, money, even sticks - but until level 3 fire starting they would be a must have.  

Sticks would tend to be the most plentiful fuel around - pick them up or break branches. Cedar is about as "easy" to ignite as sticks.  Books would do for fuel as well and are easy to ignite. Reclaimed and fir wood can be lit but note that not all fuels are the same.  Coal (not charcoal which cannot be burned) can be burned after the fire is lit with even a single stick. 

Because of that "difficulty" of getting the fire lit, especially at low skill levels, the usual advice is to pull a torch from the fire because a torch then can be lit with a match or fire striker and gives several tries when, as in inevitable, the attempt to light a fire fails, sometimes multiple times. Note that pulling a torch reduces fire duration (by about 10 minutes per torch) and temperature (-1 C per torch) so be aware of it. 

Eating raw meat or fish is a very hazardous act with a very high risk of food poisoning (and risk of intestinal parasites for predator meat).  Even at Level 5 cooking skill, which confers a 'don't get food poisoning or intestinal parasites'  benefit for cooked meat and fish that benefit won't protect anyone who decides to eat raw meat or fish.  

Good luck.