The effect of oxygen
A fire lights when the flammable vapours mix with oxygen or air. This process is known as combustion. Therefore if there isn't any oxygen or too little, the fire will not burn. This is why it is important to close doors to stop air 'feeding' the fire.
Once the fire has started, if surrounded by material that will burn and there is a supply of oxygen, the fire will spread.
Fire spreads in three ways:
- Convection
- Hot air rises or convects upwards, carrying heat and smoke and spreading heat and fire.
- Radiation
- Heat radiates outwards to nearby objects, causing them to heat up and ignite.
- Conduction
- Some metals are good conductors of heat. For example, a steel beam heated at one end will conduct the heat causing material to ignite at the other end.
Fire safety in the home
Every year around 450 people die and 14,000 people are injured in house fires. In Shropshire, around 60 people are injured a year.
The 5 most common causes of house fires are:
| Cooking: | 23,805 fires a year |
|---|---|
| Cigarettes and Smoking: | 3,076 fires a year |
| Faulty Appliances: | 8,439 fires a year |
| Matches: | 756 fires a year |
| Candles: | 1,313 fires a year |
(ODPM Fire Statistics 2007)