Fire needs fuel, oxygen, and heat to survive. In forests, the fuel is provided by trees and bushes. In houses and buildings, the fuel is wood, furniture, books, and papers. Oxygen is not hard to find, seeing as it is all around us in the air. And without heat, the fire could not continue.

When wood reaches 572º, it gives off a gas which reacts with oxygen to make a flame. The flame will heat the remaining wood, making the fire grow stronger. This will happen even on cold days. The temperature at which something ignites is called its flash point. Paper burns at 451º Fahrenheit. Socks don’t burn until the temperature reaches 600º. Every material, even iron, has a flash point.

Lightning, campfire sparks, flint, or matches can help wood reach the 572º necessary to create a fire. A match is a small stick of wood or paper dipped in a chemical mixture and coated with sulfur and potassium chlorate. The match is struck across a strip of red phosphorus. Red phosphorus’s flash point is very low - only 392º. So when the red phosphorus hits its ignition point, it sets off a chain reaction that causes the match to burst into flame. But 392º is very hot - how could we make the strip reach that temperature? The heat boost is provided from friction between the match head and the strip. The friction creates enough heat energy, raising the temperature high enough so that the phosphorus catches fire. The flame from the burning red phosphorus then heats the wood or paper match until it also burns.

Fires can be caused by either man’s negligence or forces of nature. Earthquakes, like the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, can cause fires. The San Francisco fire spread because there was no available water to put out the blaze. In 1923, a Tokyo earthquake caused a fire at lunchtime because tens of thousands of charcoal braziers had overturned and burned. Fires can also be caused by erupting volcanoes, drought, or lightning.

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Forces of Nature: ThinkQuest 2000 (Team #C003603)

http://library.thinkquest.org/C003603/english/forestfires/causesoffire.shtml [ f o r e s t   f i r e s   :   c a u s e s   o f   f i r e ]

Fire needs fuel, oxygen, and heat to survive. In forests, the fuel is provided by trees and bushes. In houses and buildings, the fuel is wood, furniture, books, and papers. Oxygen is not hard to find, seeing as it is all around us in the air. And without heat, the fire could not continue.

When wood reaches 572º, it gives off a gas which reacts with oxygen to make a flame. The flame will heat the remaining wood, making the fire grow stronger. This will happen even on cold days. The temperature at which something ignites is called its flash point. Paper burns at 451º Fahrenheit. Socks don’t burn until the temperature reaches 600º. Every material, even iron, has a flash point.

Lightning, campfire sparks, flint, or matches can help wood reach the 572º necessary to create a fire. A match is a small stick of wood or paper dipped in a chemical mixture and coated with sulfur and potassium chlorate. The match is struck across a strip of red phosphorus. Red phosphorus’s flash point is very low - only 392º. So when the red phosphorus hits its ignition point, it sets off a chain reaction that causes the match to burst into flame. But 392º is very hot - how could we make the strip reach that temperature? The heat boost is provided from friction between the match head and the strip. The friction creates enough heat energy, raising the temperature high enough so that the phosphorus catches fire. The flame from the burning red phosphorus then heats the wood or paper match until it also burns.

Fires can be caused by either man’s negligence or forces of nature. Earthquakes, like the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, can cause fires. The San Francisco fire spread because there was no available water to put out the blaze. In 1923, a Tokyo earthquake caused a fire at lunchtime because tens of thousands of charcoal braziers had overturned and burned. Fires can also be caused by erupting volcanoes, drought, or lightning.

[ back to graphics version ]

Forces of Nature: ThinkQuest 2000 (Team #C003603)

http://library.thinkquest.org/C003603/english/forestfires/causesoffire.shtml