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Fire Triangle

Definition

The three components needed for combustion: fuel, heat and oxygen. Remove any one and the fire stops.

Related terms

Backdraft
A deflagration event triggered when air is suddenly admitted to a compartment where a fire has been oxygen-depleted but has continued to...
Fire Point
Slightly above flash point, the temperature at which sustained combustion begins after ignition.
Fire Tetrahedron
The model of sustained combustion requiring four concurrent elements: fuel, oxidiser, heat, and an uninhibited radical chain reaction. Replacing the older fire...
Flash Point
Lowest temperature at which a liquid gives off enough vapour to form an ignitable mixture in air, but the vapour does not...
Flashover
The near-simultaneous ignition of all exposed combustible surfaces in a compartment, occurring when the upper gas layer reaches approximately 600°C and radiative...
Ignition Temperature
Minimum temperature at which a substance ignites spontaneously without an external flame or spark. For petrol about 280 degrees Celsius; for paper...
NFPA 921
US National Fire Protection Association Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations. The internationally accepted methodology Indian fire investigators and SFSL fire divisions...
V-Pattern
A V-shaped area of heat and smoke damage on a vertical surface, produced by the upward cone of the fire plume; the...

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