Eli5: Why blowing make campfire go bigger but blowing candle make fire disappear?

Question

Eli5: Why blowing make campfire go bigger but blowing candle make fire disappear?

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Answer 1

Fire needs three things. Fuel, an oxidizer (commonly oxygen) and heat. When you blow out a candle, a relatively small fire, what you’re doing is cooling it down, removing enough heat that the reaction can’t proceed.

When you blow on a much larger fire you can’t cool it down sufficiently with just your blowing. Instead all you’re doing is providing more oxygen for it to react with.