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There Must be All Three
Each year more than 100,000 wildland fires occur in the United States. One is probably burning somewhere while you read this.
All fires need three things to burn: heat, fuel and oxygen. These three elements make up the fire triangle. Remove any one of them and the fire will not burn. Heat first comes from the ignition source that in nature is lightning or lava. Fuel is any material that will burn. Some fuels are more likely to burn than others. For instance, dead trees, leaves, needles and grasses have far less water in them than living ones. Dead plants usually burn sooner and hotter than live ones. If you have ever built a campfire you know this. At least 16 percent oxygen must be in the air for a fire to start. The air we breathe has 21 percent oxygen, more than enough to allow a fire to burn.
Firefighting is based on the fire
triangle. Tactics and equipment are designed to remove
heat, fuel or oxygen. That even applies to you! If your
clothing catches on fire, be sure to stop, drop and
roll. Rolling on the ground smothers oxygen and the
fire goes out.
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