fire

For other uses, see Fire (disambiguation). A forest fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a combustible material releasing heat, light, and various reaction products such as carbon dioxide and water.[1] If hot enough, the gases may become ionized to produce plasma.[2] Depending on the substances alight, and any impurities outside, the color of the flame and the fire's intensity might vary. Fire in its most common form can result in conflagration, which has the potential to cause physical damage through burning. Contents [hide] 1 Chemistry 2 Flame 3 Typical temperatures of fires and flames 3.1 Temperatures of flames by appearance 4 Fossil record 5 Human control 6 Fire fuel 7 Fire protection and prevention 8 See also 9 Citations 10 References 11 External links [edit] Chemistry The fire tetrahedron Fires start when a flammable and/or a combustible material with an adequate supply of oxygen or another oxidizer is subjected to enough heat and is able to sustain a chain reaction. This is commonly called the fire tetrahedron. Fire cannot exist without all of these elements being in place (though as previously stated, another strong oxidizer can replace oxygen). Once ignited, a chain reaction must take place whereby fires can sustain their own heat by the further release of heat energy in the process of combustion and may propagate, provided there is a continuous supply of an oxidizer and fuel. Fire can be extinguished by removing any one of the elements of the fire tetrahedron. Fire extinguishing by the application of water acts by removing heat from the fuel faster than combustion generates it. Application of carbon dioxide is intended primarily to starve the fire of oxygen. A forest fire may be fought by starting smaller fires in advance of the main blaze, to deprive it of fuel. Other gaseous fire suppression agents, such as halon or HFC-227, interfere with the chemical reaction itself.