--- title: Fire: what it needs and how to put it out — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «Fire: what it needs and how to put it out», a lesson of the chemistry course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: A fire needs three things at once: fuel to burn, heat to keep it going, and oxygen from the air; this is the fire triangle on --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/12-fire-what-it-needs/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/) / [Chemistry](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/) / Fire: what it needs and how to put it… # Fire: what it needs and how to put it out Lesson 12 of the chemistry course of Mova's primary school: 19 sentences, each with its syntax tree and pragmatics. The lessons are written for Mova, and their agreed trees are part of Mova corpus 0.4 (CC BY-SA 4.0). How Mova does on its tests: [the lesson at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/chemistry/12-fire-what-it-needs/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/12-fire-what-it-needs/0/) — A fire needs three things at once: fuel to burn, heat to keep it going, and oxygen from the air; this is the fire triangle on the poster at school. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/12-fire-what-it-needs/1/) — Take away any one side and the fire goes out: water takes away heat, a lid or a fire blanket takes away oxygen, and a gap cut in a forest takes away fuel. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/12-fire-what-it-needs/2/) — The right method matters: water on a burning chip pan turns to steam in an instant and throws burning oil everywhere, so a lid is used instead. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/12-fire-what-it-needs/3/) — In a real fire the most dangerous thing is usually the smoke, which is why smoke alarms save lives and why the rule is "get out, stay out, call 999" (or 112). - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/12-fire-what-it-needs/4/) — Children's job in a fire is not to fight it but to get out fast and tell a grown-up. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/12-fire-what-it-needs/5/) — The fire triangle: fire needs fuel, heat and oxygen, and goes out if one is taken away. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/12-fire-what-it-needs/6/) — A lid on a burning pan cuts off the oxygen; water must never be thrown on burning oil, because it turns to steam and throws the oil out in a fireball. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/12-fire-what-it-needs/7/) — A fire blanket smothers a small fire by cutting off oxygen; if your own clothes catch fire, the rule is "stop, drop and roll". - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/12-fire-what-it-needs/8/) — Fire extinguishers use water, foam, powder or carbon dioxide; the coloured band shows which fires each one is for. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/12-fire-what-it-needs/9/) — Water must never be used on an electrical fire, because water carries electricity; carbon dioxide extinguishers push the oxygen away instead. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/12-fire-what-it-needs/10/) — A smoke alarm senses tiny smoke particles; test it by pressing its button, never with a flame. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/12-fire-what-it-needs/11/) — Most people who die in house fires are killed by smoke, not flames, often while asleep. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/12-fire-what-it-needs/12/) — In a fire you leave at once by the safest way, never go back for toys or pets, and call 999 (UK) or 112 (Europe) from outside. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/12-fire-what-it-needs/13/) — Smoke rises, so the air near the floor is cleaner: crawl low under smoke; feel a door with the back of your hand before opening it, and if it is hot, do not open it. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/12-fire-what-it-needs/14/) — Smoke is tiny bits of unburnt fuel, ash and gases; wet fuel makes thick smoke, and burning plastic makes especially poisonous smoke. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/12-fire-what-it-needs/15/) — Water puts out fires mainly by cooling, because it soaks up a lot of heat as it turns to steam. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/12-fire-what-it-needs/16/) — Wildfires spread fast in dry, hot, windy weather: dry plants are fuel, heat dries the next plants, and wind brings fresh oxygen; firefighters cut gaps to remove fuel. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/12-fire-what-it-needs/17/) — Some trees and seeds need fire to open their cones and grow. - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/12-fire-what-it-needs/18/) — Hedgehogs sleep in warm, dry heaps in autumn, so bonfire piles should be rebuilt on the day or checked with a torch before lighting. - ← previous: [The candle and what burning is](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/11-the-candle-and-burning/) - next →: [Rust: iron's slow fire](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/13-rust-irons-slow-fire/) - ↑ back to [Chemistry](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/)