fire triangle
Combustion's three necessities
The fire triangle is a model showing the three elements required for combustion: heat, fuel, and oxygen.
Remove any one and the fire goes out—which is the basis for firefighting techniques.
The concept is taught in fire safety education and appears in chemistry discussions of combustion.
A more complete model, the fire tetrahedron, adds chemical chain reactions as a fourth element.
Starting combustion process
- flameBurning gas made visible
- burningCombustion in progress
- heatTransferred thermal energy
- fuelEnergy source material
oxygen · pyrolysis · oxidation · exothermic · thermal · kindle · smolder · char
Forcible prevention or concealment
- extinguisherDevice for dousing flames
- smotheringDepriving of air
- coolingLosing thermal energy
- flame resistantUnlikely to ignite easily
sprinkler · hazard · risk · alarm · evacuation · smoke detector · safety plan · escape route
Tree-derived building material
- coalCombustible sedimentary rock
- gasolineRefined petroleum vehicle fuel
- propaneFlammable hydrocarbon fuel
- dieselCompression-ignition fuel
kerosene · charcoal · biomass · ethanol · methane · paper · textiles · plastics
Gaseous envelope surrounding Earth
- oxidizerElectron-accepting reactant
- ventilationCirculation of fresh air
- atmosphereGaseous layer around planets
- oxidationLosing electrons chemically
airflow · smothering · oxygen depletion · wind · draft · aeration
ignition
Starting combustion process
fuel · oxygen · pyrolysis · oxidation · exothermic · thermal · kindle · smolder · char · blaze
suppression
Forcible prevention or concealment
- extinguisherDevice for dousing flames
- smotheringDepriving of air
- coolingLosing thermal energy
flame resistant · sprinkler · hazard · risk · alarm · evacuation · smoke detector · safety plan · escape route
wood
Tree-derived building material
- coalCombustible sedimentary rock
- gasolineRefined petroleum vehicle fuel
- propaneFlammable hydrocarbon fuel
diesel · kerosene · charcoal · biomass · ethanol · methane · paper · textiles · plastics · oil
air
Gaseous envelope surrounding Earth
- oxidizerElectron-accepting reactant
- ventilationCirculation of fresh air
- atmosphereGaseous layer around planets
oxidation · airflow · smothering · oxygen depletion · wind · draft · aeration
fire trianglefire suppression
Controlling or eliminating flames
smothering · fire prevention · cooling · oxygen deprivation · fire retardant
fire trianglesmoke detector
Combustion particle sensor
fire alarm · heat sensor · sprinkler system · evacuation plan · fire drill
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