Fire : friend and foe,, write …

Early man didn’t know how to make fire. But he must have seen the destructive power of fire. He must have watched lightning and volcanoes. He was afraid of it. What is fire? Fire is, in fact, the result of a chemical reaction. The air has oxygen, while fuels have carbon and hydrogen. When the two combine, energy is released in the form of heat and light. This is what we call fire. Three things are needed to make fire–fuel, oxygen and heat. The common fuels are wood, coal, gas and petrol. Oxygen comes from the air. That is why, when we blow on burning paper, it bursts into flame. Fuel and oxygen do not make fire themselves. They need heat. A lighted match provides that heat. Every fuel begins to burn at a particular temperature.

Early Man and Fire

Early man must have found fire to be dangerous and frightening .Fire must have been a mystery for an early man but it is known today that is a result of chemical reaction. When oxygen present in air combines with carbon and hydrogen present in a fuel, energy is released in from of heat and light and this is what fire is. To make fire fuel, heat and oxygen is needed. Wood, coal, gas are fuel, oxygen is available in air. But to cause fire heat is essential. A piece of paper doesn’t catch fire until that is supplied to it. Every fuel burns at a particular temperature which is also called ‘flash point’ or ‘kindling temperature’.

Fire: A Friend and a Dangerous Enemy

Fire is a boon if is kept under control but can be dangerous if it goes out of control. It is used in our house daily for cooking food, burning candles and so on, but if it goes out of control it  can cause damage to life, houses and even forests. Fire can be controlled by taking away any of the three things required for burning it. It can be stopped immediately by taking away the fuel.

It can also be controlled by cutting the oxygen supply, for this many a times blankets are thrown over burning objects. Another way is to reduce the temperature; this can be done by spraying water which lowers down the temperature. However, water cannot be used to put out electrical fire or an oil fire. Carbon dioxide extinguisher is the best way to control electrical fire.