I agree - a partial windscreen does work safely; I was referring to the 360-degree, tightly fitting screens like many people use with alcohol stoves.

The main reason I don't find them necessary and you do may be that we hike in distinctly different environments. I hike in fairly dense woods, so it's never hard to find a spot that is sheltered from the wind - a grove of evergreens, a big log, a big rock, or a small hummock. I suspect you hike in much more open countryside, and above treeline, so a windscreen is more of a necessity than it is for me.

I really wasn't thinking about "where?" when I gave the blanket "Don't do it" advice, and didn't think to see where the OP was hiking.