CHEMISTRY OF FIRE
CHEMISTRY OF FIRE
most of those lives and minimize injury and property losses caused by fire.
OBJECTIVES:
1. Know your enemy
2. Learns how fire happens
3. Learn how it kills
Chemistry of fire
Top 3 Worst Fire Incidents in the Philippines
Kentex Manufacturing Fire Incident, Valenzuela City.
Fire has been both a help and a hindrance to mankind throughout history.
May 13, 2015, Kentex Factory in Valencusta City went into flames killing 74
Fire has heated our homes, cooked our food, and helped us to become
people and for the record, this has been declared the 3rd worst fire
technologically advanced. Fire, in its hostile mode, has also endangered us
incident in the Philippines
for as long as we have used it.
Fire Tetrahedron
For combustion to occur, four components are necessary:
• Oxygen (oxidizing agent) SOLID LIQUID GAS
• Fuel coal gasoline
• Heat wood kerosene Hydrogen
• Self-sustained chemical reaction paper diesel acetylene
cloth alcohol propane
plastic lacquer butane
COMPONENTS OF FIRE
House garments Paints/varnish methane
• OXYGEN (Oxidizing Agent) - enough oxygen to sustain combustion.
• FUEL - some fuel or combustible material. HEAT
• HEAT - enough heat to reach ignition temperature. Heat is the energy component of the fire
• SELF-SUSTAINED CHEMICAL REACTION - together, they produce the tetrahedron. When heat comes into contact with
chemical reaction that is fire. a fuel, the energy supports the combustion
reaction.
OXYGEN (Oxidizing Agent)
Oxidizing agents are those materials SOURCES OF HEAT:
that yield oxygen or other oxidizing 1. OPEN FLAME
gases during the course of a chemical 2. ELECTRIC ENERGY/APPLIANCES
reaction. Oxidizers are not themselves 3. MECHANICALS/ENGINES
combustible, but they support 4. FLYING EMBERS
combustion when combined with a 5. LIGHTNING/ SOLAR ENERGY
fuel.
SELF-SUSTAINED CHEMICAL REACTION
1. IN NORMAL AIR 21%
2. TO SUPPORT COMBUSTION, APPROXIMATELY 16% REQUIRED
3. PEOPLE WILL HAVE DIFFICULTY OF THINKING CLEARLY AND
CONTROLLING THEIR MUSCLES.
4. BREATHING STOPS IF OXYGEN IN THE AIR IS 6% TO 10%.
5. 4 TO 6 MINS WITHOUT OXYGEN BRAIN DEATH OCCUR.
FUEL
Fuel is the material or substance being oxidized or burned in
the combustion process.
Combustion is a complex reaction that requires a fuel (in the gaseous or c.) Exclusion of Oxygen
vapor state), an oxidizer, and a heat energy to come together in a very d.) Inhibition of Self -Sustained Chemical Chain Reaction.
specific way. Once flaming combustion or fire occurs, it can only continue
when enough heat energy is produced to cause the continued
How fast can a fire develop?
development of fuel vapors or gases. Scientists call this type of reaction a
- In every 20-30 seconds, fire develops rapidly depending on the available
“chain reaction”. A chain reaction is a series of reactions that occur in
fuel around it.
sequence with the result of each individual reaction being added to the
- The lighter the fuel, the faster it burns.
rest.