– How exactly does water put out a fire? Is it a smothering thing, or a chemical reaction?

Question

– How exactly does water put out a fire? Is it a smothering thing, or a chemical reaction?

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

The way I see it, it removes the heat element. Every fire safety training I’ve ever received, the first thing in the sessions was the fire triangle: Oxygen, Fuel, Heat. Water cools it down, thus removing one of the three crucial elements of the fire triangle. Unless of course it’s fat or electrical fire, in which case you’ve either made it worse or are now likely dead