Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition.
The flame is the visible portion of the fire. If hot enough, the gases may become ionized to produce plasma. Depending on the substances alight, and any impurities outside, the color of the flame and the fire's intensity will be different.
Fire in its most common form can result in conflagration, which has the potential to cause physical damage through burning. Fire is an important process that affects ecological systems across the globe. The positive effects of fire include stimulating growth and maintaining various ecological systems. Fire has been used by humans for cooking, generating heat, signaling, and propulsion purposes. The negative effects of fire include water contamination, soil erosion, atmospheric pollution and hazard to human and animal life.
Read more about Fire: Fire Ecology, Fossil Record, Human Control, Protection and Prevention, Restoration
Other articles related to "fire, fires":
... X-Fire (pronounced 'Cross-fire'), was a paintball-based TV gameshow, aired on Channel 4 in the UK and presented by Ed Hall ...
... Masonry buildings can also be built to increase safety by reducing fire damage, such as the use of fire cuts during construction ...
... methods and measures are used depending on the type of fire damage that occurred ... Fire damage can be performed by property management teams, building maintenance personnel, or by the homeowners themselves however, contacting a certified professional fire damage restoration ... Most are usually listed under "Fire and Water Restoration" and they can help speed repairs, whether for individual homeowners or for the largest of institutions ...
... Local government functions apart from the Police and Fire/Rescue services are carried out by four smaller unitary authorities Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Halton, and Warrington ... Policing and fire and rescue services are still provided across the County as a whole, but by unelected bodies ... The Cheshire Police Authority and Cheshire Fire Authority consist of members of the four councils ...
... Cooking oil is flammable, and fires may be caused by it igniting at too high a temperature ... Further, attempts to extinguish an oil fire with water cause an extremely dangerous condition, a boilover, as it causes the water to flash into steam due to the high heat of the oil ... This is the leading cause of house fires in the United Kingdom ...
Famous quotes containing the word fire:
“I thought I alone suffered,
but suffering is everywhere.
When I went on the housetop
I saw its fire in every home.”
—Farid (13th cent.)
“a man sleeps where fire leapt down and she learns through his arm
That other sun, the jealous coursing of the unrivalled blood.”
—Dylan Thomas (1914–1953)
“And new Philosophy calls all in doubt,
The element of fire is quite put out;
The Sun is lost, and th’earth, and no mans wit
Can well direct him where to look for it.”
—John Donne (c. 1572–1631)