The Smokin' Science of Fire Extinguishers
Different fuels create different types of fires, and each one needs to be extinguished using a specific strategy. Do you know which class of extinguisher is needed ...
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So you’ve just caught a whiff of something burning. You run to the stove, and see that your bacon … has burst into flames. Thinking fast, you grab the fire extinguisher from your closet and spray the growing fire before it gets out of control. Luckily, it was the right type of fire extinguisher. Different fuels create different types of fires, and each one needs to be extinguished using a specific strategy. Depending on the chemistry between fire and extinguishing agent, the fire might go out—or it could actually spread. Fire comes from a chemical combustion reaction between oxygen and fuel. The fuel can be anything from wood to metal to grease. When it’s heated to a very high temperature, what’s called the ignition temperature, and there’s oxygen around, a fire start...
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So you’ve just caught a whiff of something burning. You run to the stove, and see that your bacon … has burst into flames. Thinking fast, you grab the fire extinguisher from your closet and spray the growing fire before it gets out of control. Luckily, it was the right type of fire extinguisher. Different fuels create different types of fires, and each one needs to be extinguished using a specific strategy. Depending on the chemistry between fire and extinguishing agent, the fire might go out—or it could actually spread. Fire comes from a chemical combustion reaction between oxygen and fuel. The fuel can be anything from wood to metal to grease. When it’s heated to a very high temperature, what’s called the ignition temperature, and there’s oxygen around, a fire start...
