The Nature of Fire

Fire is a magical substance – it’s captivating, entrancing, primal and powerful yet also calming and graceful. It is one of the four classical elements that humans have identified as being essential, and has been used for thousands of years for cooking, heating and light, signaling, smelting, forging, waste disposal, cremation and war as well as in rituals and sacrifices.

Fire takes in oxygen from the surrounding air and releases its own heat energy into the air as a stream of gases. It is a self-perpetuating chemical reaction that continues as long as there are fuel molecules and oxygen available.

To start a fire, you need to apply a lot of heat, which heats the fuel and breaks apart the hydrogen molecules within it. This releases the energy stored in those bonds, which then reacts with oxygen molecules from the air to create a combustion reaction that produces heat and light. The energy from that process is released as the molecular particles move at such a fast rate, they produce a flame which then spreads.

Every natural ecosystem on land is adapted to some form of fire. It is what keeps the grass, shrubs and trees growing in a balanced way, and allows a greater diversity of species to survive on the landscape. In fact, many of the world’s rainforests would not exist without fire.

The fire element is vital to human existence on Earth, and it provides a huge amount of the energy that we use to run our houses, cars and other appliances. In modern times, we use it in thermal power stations that produce electricity by igniting fossil fuels such as coal and oil to heat water which drives turbines that spin electric generators.

However, fire can also pose dangers. Fire can cause explosions and burn people, animals and buildings. It can also devastate communities and destroy ecosystems. In order to minimize the risk, we rely on trained firefighters, fire fighting apparatus and fire hydrants, as well as policies, regulations and laws to prevent uncontrolled fires from occurring.

Fire has been a part of our lives since the beginning of time, and it is a fundamental aspect of our planet’s ecology. It is important to understand the nature of fire, so we can manage its risks and ensure that it can continue to serve us in the future.

For centuries fire was symbolised by the three elements of a fire triangle, namely, fuel, heat and oxygen. Further research, though, discovered a fourth element – a chemical chain reaction, which is the key to fire. This is why the fire triangle has now become a fire tetrahedron. Removal of any one of these essential components will result in a fire being extinguished.

If you are interested in finding out more about the amazing phenomenon of fire, you can visit us at the Science Theatre during half term for our Fire and Light show. For more information about this event and to book tickets, please click here.