Abstract: A liquid fuel cell that includes a canister having a fuel reservoir and a burner assembly mounted upon the canister. The burner assembly contains a wick holding aperture that opens into the fuel reservoir and a wick that is made up of continuous fiber strands mounted in the tube. The wick is doubled over to create a crown that is vertically disposed above the top of the wick holding aperture and the two ends of the wick are arranged to pass down through the wick burner into the fuel reservoir. A number of fiber strands are severed in the crown region to create a small island of bristles which greatly enhances the wick's ability to be rapidly and efficiently ignited.