Fire is the most widely understood phenomenon in the natural world. It has been used for thousands of years by many cultures, from our ancestors to modern-day farmers and hunters. Fire can also be dangerous, so it is important to know how to use and control it safely!
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Fire Facts for Kids
- A fire needs fuel, oxygen, and heat to burn.
- Flames are the visible part of a fire. Their color depends on the fuel.
- An intense red fire has a temperature of 600-800°C
- An intense orange-yellow fire has a temperature of 1100° Celsius
- Fire causes severe burns and blisters on humans
Top Tips for Fire Safety
Get a fire extinguisher and keep it visible in plain sight.
Keep cooking areas well-ventilated, and don’t leave pots or pans unattended on the stove.
Grease fires spread faster if you put water on them. Use baking soda instead! When fighting this kind of fire, evacuate the building if possible and call 911 from outside with a cell phone.
Make sure you have a family escape plan, including children.
When you can’t evacuate, follow your escape plan and stay low to avoid the smoke.
Make sure your smoke alarm is working on each floor. Replace the batteries regularly and test them monthly.
Don’t leave trash or cigarette butts out, and make sure there are no electrical cords in the yard.
Keep a fire extinguisher and wear protective gear, including masks, when fighting fires.
Forest Fire
Forest fires are also known as “wildfires” and can be very dangerous. When it starts in a wooded or grassy place it spreads very quickly. This is because these areas are most often very dry, which is the perfect fuel for the fire.
This type of fire is most often caused by humans (not putting out a campfire properly or dropping a lit cigarette). However, some can be caused by a bolt of lightning or even volcanic eruptions.
Although forest fires are scary they do have a good side to them. When it sweeps through a dense forest it will burn up all the debris that has collected on the ground. This helps enrich the soil and environment so new trees and plants can grow.
To help stop a fire in hard-to-reach areas, a special aircraft is used. It can contain thousands of gallons of water or even a unique firefightinh gel. Once above the fire, the aircraft releases its cargo. It may have to do this several times before it will be out.
The Ferocity of Fire
Fire will produce a searing heat that can quickly burn up objects, including our skin.
Even a small candle flame will burn at 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit (1,000 degrees Celsius).
It can take as little as 2.5 minutes for a home to be entirely engulfed in flames.
Firefighters have to wear special gear to protect them from the heat and flames of a fire. It is called, Bunker Gear and is made from several layers of specially design, flame-resistant material.
Diamonds are formed when a carbon compound is put under extreme pressure and extreme heat. And when we say extreme heat we mean around 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit (1,204 degrees Celsius).
Coal located underground in Australia (Burning Mountain) has been burning for over 6,000 years.
The Never-Ending Burning Fire
We just learned about a 6,000-year-old burning fire, but did you know there is a fire that never stops burning and has been doing so since the dawn of time? It’s the Sun.
The Sun is essential to all life on Earth. It grows our plants, warms our bodies, and makes going to the beach so much more fun. The Sun is made up of 75 percent hydrogen, 24 percent helium, and small amounts of carbon, iron, neon, and, of course, oxygen.
All these elements combined make for one mighty fire! In fact, the Sunburns on the surface at 9,941 degrees Fahrenheit (5,500 degrees Celsius). But that’s nothing compared to its core. The center of the Sun burns at a whopping 24,480 032 degrees Fahrenheit (13,600 000 degrees Celsius)!
Freaky Fire Factoid: A Solar Flare can produce the energy of millions of 100 megaton hydrogen bombs!
What We Do With Fire
Fire has been around for millions of years, but it has only been in the last 1.5 million years that humans have figured out how to use it. Check out all the things we do with fire today.
Fire is used for;
- Heat source
- Cooking
- Research experiments
- Camping
- Combustion Engines
- Source of light
- Melting things
- Burning
Learn More
- Walt Disney World uses more fireworks than any other place on Earth?
- The majority of fire deaths are attributable to careless smoking.
- A bush called, dictamnus Albus, emits an oily substance that can be lit on fire? But (get this) the bush itself will not be affected.
- No one knows who invented the fire hydrant because the patent was burned up in a fire?
- In World War II, Japan sent 9,000 fire balloons towards North America. Some even landed.
- Fire Fighting was actually a sport at the 1900 Olympics in Paris.
Now that you have learned all these fiery facts remember them the next time you see the fire in action. Also, be sure to share what you have learned here today.
You might just become known as “a super-smart-flame-brain.”
