The Basics of Fire

Fire is one of nature’s most powerful natural phenomena. It burns natural and man-made materials to produce heat energy, which can then be used for work or recreation. In addition, many ecosystems depend on periodic fire to maintain ecological stability. Fires remove dead organic material and stimulate the growth of new plants. They also help to control invasive species that choke out native plant and animal life. Fires provide essential nutrients to the soil. In addition, they help control erosion.

Fires are natural and often act on their own, but sometimes they can be caused by humans. In most cases, this is done on purpose, and is called “management burning.” Humans have learned to control fire for a variety of reasons. The most common uses of fire are cooking and heating. Humans use wood, coal, petroleum, natural gas and other fuel to create fire. Fire is also used in power stations to generate electricity.

A fire starts when a flammable material is exposed to a high enough temperature, which causes the chemicals in it to react with oxygen. This reaction, known as combustion, changes the structure of the fuel and creates a chemically unstable state called plasma. Fires glow with heat, which is produced when the plasma interacts with light and other particles in the air. The colour of a fire is determined by the temperature, with red colours indicating cooler temperatures and yellows and oranges indicating higher ones.

The simplest way to start a fire is by putting dry twigs, grass or leaves into the flame of a match or lighter. The twigs, grass or leaves burn because they have enough surface area to combust at the right rate. They have to be near a source of oxygen for the chemical reactions to continue, and if they get too hot, they will burn up and explode.

For a fire to burn, three things must be present: the fuel (the material being burned), the oxygen and the energy to start and sustain it. This is called the fire tetrahedron. The Greek philosophers Aristotle and Heraclitus considered fire, along with water, earth and air, to be among the fundamental elements of all matter.

As humans, we can make fires easier to start and maintain by using tools to measure and predict how fast a flame will spread, and by applying chemical retardants, such as the now banned Halon. When dealing with a wildfire, it is important to prepare an escape plan, stay low to the ground and crawl when escaping a home or business. If you are burned, apply cool water immediately and seek medical attention if necessary. If your clothes catch fire, stop, drop and roll – that is, stop, drop to the ground and cover your face with your hands.