zeogold: 1. Am I allowed to cut, tie/yank, or otherwise break the ropes?
2. Am I allowed to pour the lighter fluid onto the ropes or the surrounding area?
3. Is it safe to assume that if I burn both ends of a rope at once, it will be completely used up within 30 minutes, or would other factors influence this such as rate, etc.?
misteryo: 1. Yes.
2. Never considered this, but I think yes.
3. It is not safe to assume. But I have given you enough info to figure it out.
Alright, so if I burn both ends of one rope, let's just say, for the sake of puzzliness, that it'd be 30 minutes. The only trick at that point would be to find a way to get the other 15 minutes in.
Edit: Wait, I think I've got it. Burn two ends of one rope, and one of the other. After the first one's burned up, light the end of the second rope and after it's gone, it'll be 45 minutes!
Edited again: Didn't see Gnostic's comment, his sounds good as well.
Actually, seems like we had the same idea.
Edited yet again: Well, he DID have it right it seems, before he edited it out, anyways.