The Elements That Start and Stop Fires | SERVPRO® of New Center/Highland Park

Do you recall the tetrahedron from geometry class? It was a while ago, we know. It’s a triangular shape that has four equals sides, all of them triangles.

Fire scientists use a version of this shape, called the fire tetrahedron, to show us the four essential elements of any successful fire. And knowing how a fire is built helps us understand how one can be extinguished. Let’s look into it.

The 4 Things a Fire Needs to Live

Fuel. Fire’s gotta eat. Without something to burn, there’s no possibility for a fire to get going.

Heat. Any potential fuel source has a point at which it becomes prone to ignite. This temperature varies from element to element, but once a fuel source reaches the flash point, it becomes a hazard.

Oxygen. Just as a fire has to eat, it also has to breathe. Fires consume the oxygen from the air around them (which also explains why fire deaths often happen because of carbon monoxide poisoning).

Chemical Chain Reaction. The presence of these elements creates a chain reaction that keeps the fire swirling and growing, and as long as this reaction is allowed to continue, the fire will continue to survive.

The 4 Ways to Stop a Fire

Cool it. Most commonly done with water, restoring a thermal balance to the fire’s fuel source gets the fuel source back under the flash point, where heat levels aren’t high enough to ignite.

Smother it. Smothering a fire deprives it of the oxygen it needs. This can be done with a fire blanket, or in the case of a simple fire like a candle, by covering it with a lid.

Starve it. If a fire can’t eat, it can’t grow—so when it runs out of an adequate supply of its fuel source, it has to dwindle and die.

Interrupt the chain reaction. The chain reaction that keeps a fire burning can be interrupted by the introduction of certain gases or chemicals. One such gas is halon, which is extremely effective, but also has a negative impact on the environment.

If the fire tetrahedron makes a wreck of your home or business, we’re ready around the clock to help you recover. Contact SERVPRO anytime for fast, thorough cleanup and recovery after a fire.