What is needed to make fire?

🇫🇷 French Version

I— Definitions

Fire is the production of a flame 🔥 by an exothermic chemical transformation called combustion 🔥.
This chemical transformation releases heat ♨️ and light 💡.

A fuel is a substance that burns.

Examples:
Alcohol, petrol, petroleum, paper, wood, butane, propane...

Hazard pictogram related to a fuel
Fuel pictogram

An oxidiser is a substance that allows a fuel to burn.

Example:
Dioxygen (O2) 🫧

Pictogram indicating an oxidiser that supports combustion
Oxidiser pictogram

The activation energy is the energy required for combustion to start.

Examples:
Flame, spark, heat, radiation ⚡

II— The fire triangle

The fire triangle 🔺 is the set of the three elements required for fire to appear:

FUEL, OXIDISER, and ACTIVATION ENERGY ⚡

Diagram: fuel, oxidiser, and activation energy form the fire triangle
Fire triangle

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