Today, we’ll be looking at the different types of fires or different classes of fires. Depending on who’s being asked, they may either say four, or five different types of fires. Before we get too far into the types of fires, we must first ask ourselves; What is a Fire?
According to Merriam-Webster, a fire is “the phenomenon of combustion manifested in light, flame and heat”. However, I’m sure that we all know what a fire is at this point, right?
So, What Are The 5 Classes of Fires?
- 1. Class A – Ordinary combustibles, leaves an ash.
- 2. Class B – Flammable Liquids and Gases
- 3. Class C – Electrical
- 4. Class D – Combustible Metals
- 5. Class K – Cooking Fires or “K”itchen Fires
Okay, now that we know what they are let’s take a look at each. As I’m sure you have noticed, fires are classified by the type fuel they burn.
Breaking Down the Types of Fires
Ordinary Combustibles are what you typically think about when a fire is burning. Paper, plastic, wood, etc. are all considered ordinary combustibles and result in a Class A Fire. There are multiple ways to extinguish this type fire, but for our purposes today, let’s put some water on it and cool it down.
Flammable Liquids and Gases consist of items such as Oil-based paints, lacquers, greases, petroleum based products like gasoline diesel, and flammable gases fall into this category. Similar to ordinary combustibles, there are multiple ways to extinguish these fires as well. However, water is NOT one of those methods. Putting water on a Class B fire will cause it to spread or enlarge. This is not what you want when putting out a fire.
Electrical fires are cause by energized electrical circuits or components. Most times, it is obvious that it is an electrical fire. However, that is not always the case. Similar to Class B fires, you never want to put water on an energized electrical fire. We all know what happens when you mix electricity and water.
Combustible metal fires sound scary enough, right? According to Fire and Security Techniques, some combustible metals to be aware of are magnesium, titanium, zirconium, sodium, lithium, and potassium. Most of your combustible metal fires are going to either be in an industrial setting or in a laboratory. Typically, these fires start due to ignition of fine particles or dust. Water is off limits here as well, as you are more likely to do more harm than good.
Lastly, we have Kitchen fires resulting from ignition of cooking grease, oils or fats. Who has watched those YouTube videos of Thanksgiving turkey getting lowered into the grease and it overflows? You’ll want either a chemical agent or a type of fire blanket to smother the fire to extinguish.
Understanding the Different Types of Fires
I hope at this point you have a better understanding of the different types of fires, how fires are classified, and a little knowledge on putting a fire out. I know we did not go into a ton of detail of extinguishing each type fire, and we’ll save this for another day as it could get lengthy.
I hope that you found this information useful. If you have any comments or thoughts, please feel free to share them below.
NOTE: Never let the fire get between you and your exit or attempt to extinguish a fire if it is unsafe. If in doubt, call 911 and let the professionals handle it.