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":
... The fire point of a fuel is the temperature at which it will continue to burn for at least 5 seconds after ignition by an open flame ... ignite briefly, but vapor might not be produced at a rate to sustain the fire ... of material properties will only list material flash points, but in general the fire points can be assumed to be about 10 °C higher than the flash points ...
... Brominated haloalkanes were first used during World War II as fire extinguisher for aircraft and tanks ... was introduced as an effective gaseous fire suppression agent around 1973 for use around highly valuable materials in places such as museums, mainframe rooms and ... Its efficiency as a fire extinguishing agent has also led it to be the predominant choice of fire extinguishing agent on commercial aircraft and is typically ...
... 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 ... 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 ...
... Eureka is served by an all Volunteer Fire Department, which provides fire protection, rescue, and vehicle rescue services for Eureka township and the ... In 2009 a new brick and steel fire house was built on Main Street in Eureka ... At the time of its building it was the second largest fire house in the State of Nevada ...
... The older works all agreed with the opinion of the judges—Angélique set the fire to revenge herself on her owner ... She concludes that the fire was most likely accidental, the result of poorly cleaned chimneys and a cook fire in the neighbouring house—a cook fire manned by Marie-Manon, the young panis slave who was the ... have been severely punished by her owners had she been implicated in accidentally causing the fire, had plenty of motivation for diverting suspicion elsewhere ...
Famous quotes containing the word fire:
“These violent delights have violent ends,
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,
Which as they kiss consume.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“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)
“Bare night is best. Bare earth is best. Bare, bare,
Except for our own houses, huddled low
Beneath the arches and their spangled air,
Beneath the rhapsodies of fire and fire,
Where the voice that is in us makes a true response....”
—Wallace Stevens (1879–1955)