Facts about Fire

Some fires occur in the absence of oxygen.

Learning to control fire was one of the first great achievements of hominids.

Human beings, among all the species on Earth, have the unique ability to control fire.

Jesus is recorded as saying that he came to "cast fire upon the earth" (Luke 12:49).

Purposefully starting destructive fires constitutes arson and is a criminal offense in most jurisdictions.

The ability to control fire enabled them to cook food—a decisive step in the fight against disease—and to migrate to colder regions of the world.

Another use of fire was in long-distance communication through smoke signals.

Many Christians regard these words about judgment by fire as symbolic, and not to be taken literally.

Christians regard fire as a symbol of the Holy Spirit, but they also point to biblical verses that prophesy a time when the world will be judged by fire (2 Peter 3:12; Malachi 4:1).

At a power station, fire is used to heat water, creating steam that drives turbines.

Trained firefighters use fire trucks, fire hydrants, and an array of other equipment to combat the spread of fires.

Fire also plays an important role in the symbolism and rituals of many religions.

Some chemicals called accelerants can be used to spread fire faster or have it burn hotter.

When we see a piece of wood burning, with flames leaping and smoke rising, we say that the wood is "on fire."

On a more mundane level, Greek philosopher Empedocles proposed, in the fifth century B.C.E., that fire was one of four unchanging elements that were the basic constituents of all material things.

The Zoroastrian religion considers fire as a symbol of the invisible God, or Ahura Mazda, and each temple—called a fire temple—maintains a holy flame.

Given the destructive capacity of fire, most municipalities offer firefighting services to quickly extinguish fires.

Other evidence from the site named the "Cradle of Humankind" in South Africa suggests the controlled use of fire more than a million years ago.

Uncontrolled fires have been classified according to different systems.

Later, fire enabled advances in metallurgy, such as smelting and forging, and alchemists used fire to discover and perform a variety of chemical reactions.

Human scientific and technological advances, as well as their everyday lives, depend on the controlled use of fire.

The prophet Mohammed said, "A man's true wealth is the good he does in the world."

Fire is used to cook food, heat homes, run engines, smelt metals, generate electricity, and drive all manner of industrial processes.

Some paleontologists indicate that Homo erectus may have used controlled fire as early as 790,000 years ago.

Naturally occurring wildfires consume huge areas of forests and grasslands.

Knowing the role of fire in ecosystems, forest rangers may use "prescribed burns" to reduce the hazards of undergrowth and dead fuels.

Ancient philosophers considered fire as one of the fundamental "elements" of nature, while religious thinkers regarded the heat and light of fire as metaphors for God's love and truth, respectively.

Fire was also used to clear travel lanes.

By the time of the Neolithic introduction of grain-based agriculture, people the world over used fire as a means to clear fields, produce fertilizer (by burning trees and grasses), and manage landscapes.

Fire can propagate rapidly to neighboring structures, especially when proper building standards are not met.

Based on this ability, fire has played an enormous role in the development of human civilization.

Once started, the fire usually generates sufficient heat to sustain itself until the available fuel or oxygen is used up.

Uncontrolled fires are extremely dangerous, as they spread swiftly, destroy property, and kill and injure living things.

Trained firefighters use fire trucks, fire hydrants, and an array of other equipment to combat the spread of fires.

When we see a piece of wood burning, with flames leaping and smoke rising, we say that the wood is "on fire."

The ability to control fire enabled them to cook food—a decisive step in the fight against disease—and to migrate to colder regions of the world.