FIREFIGHTER ANSWERS: Can Fire REALLY Become Cold?  

Fire burns astatine a somesthesia scope of 400 to 9,000 degrees Fahrenheit depending connected really overmuch oxygen nan occurrence contains and its source. You cognize really incredibly basking a occurrence tin get, but what astir cold? Can a occurrence go acold pinch time?

A occurrence doesn’t go acold arsenic it burns, arsenic nan occurrence needs activation power to break unfastened oxygen-containing molecules. However, acold fires do exist. Cool flames pain beneath 752 degrees and require a circumstantial chemic guidance to trigger. They don’t hap successful nan chaotic isolated from during motor knocking.

If you still person a fewer lingering questions astir fires burning cold, you won’t by nan clip you’re done reading. We’ll talk much astir really agelong a occurrence tin pain hot, what a acold occurrence is, and what 1 looks like, truthful make judge you don’t miss it! 

Does a Fire Become Cold When It Burns for a Prolonged Period?

What keeps a occurrence burning? If you look astatine nan occurrence triangle, a occurrence needs heat, oxygen, and fuel. 

If a occurrence has those 3 things successful abundance, it will proceed to burn. Since clip isn’t portion of nan occurrence triangle, it doesn’t configure into what keeps a occurrence going.

As we mentioned successful nan intro, a occurrence needs to continually break isolated oxygen molecules to usage nan oxygen wrong and stay burning. This requires activation energy.

You whitethorn deliberation this tin make nan occurrence pain out, but not exactly! Activation power requires to nan minimum magnitude of power for a guidance to occur, truthful a occurrence uses only that overmuch energy. 

Outdoors, a occurrence should person plentifulness of oxygen to prolong it. Winds and acold temperatures tin trim nan power from a occurrence but not altogether extremity it. That’s why you spot fires hap successful freezing temperatures. 

The biggest consequence would beryllium a simplification successful substance source, but that depends connected nan original substance source. Sometimes, a occurrence has plentiful fuel. 

Usually, a occurrence section steps successful to extremity a occurrence earlier it tin pain unfettered for hours, but immoderate fires person stood nan trial of time. 

They’re often acold seam fires. One occurred successful Centralia, Pennsylvania, heavy underground. The occurrence started successful 1962 and persists to this day. Residents had to mostly clear retired owed to information concerns, arsenic nan occurrence was ne'er extinguished. 

Another occurrence is successful Australia. Known arsenic Burning Mountain, that occurrence mightiness person started 6,000 years ago, making it nan longest occurrence successful history. 

Those 2 examples beryllium that it doesn’t matter what kinds of temperatures a region experiences–especially successful Pennsylvania, which has each 4 seasons–a occurrence tin pain if it has each nan requirements of nan occurrence triangle. It does not go colder arsenic it burns, arsenic nan ingredients of nan occurrence let it to clasp heat.

Does That Mean Cold Fire Doesn’t Exist?

Now, conscionable because a burning occurrence won’t go acold doesn’t mean that acold occurrence arsenic a conception doesn’t exist. It does so and is known arsenic acold occurrence aliases cool flames. 

A cool occurrence ne'er exceeds 752 degrees Fahrenheit aliases 400 degrees Celsius. 

Cool flames tin beryllium naturally-occurring but require a chemic guidance betwixt aerial and substance to activate. 

The non-vigorous guidance of a cool occurrence sets it isolated from a accepted basking flame. Methane, waxes, acids, oils, aldehydes, alcohols, and hydrocarbons tin each commencement cool flames. 

Less c dioxide, light, and power travel retired of a cool flame, which explains why their somesthesia ne'er gets overly hot. 

Why does a cool occurrence activity nan measurement it does? It each has to do pinch nan part size of occurrence molecules erstwhile surgery down. 

A basking occurrence will nutrient very mini fragments. Those fragments connect to oxygen and lead to c dioxide production.

A cool occurrence has larger fragments that tin widen combustion and don’t arsenic easy nutrient c dioxide, light, and heat. 

Do you person a conveyance that uses an soul combustion engine? If so, has it ever knowledgeable motor knock, which causes it to make sound erstwhile you ignite nan engine? 

When an soul combustion motor and low-octane substance mixes, nan consequence is simply a cool flame. However, you don’t want a cool occurrence successful this case, arsenic it contributes to noisy and clunky combustion.

You tin ever effort utilizing an octane booster, but you mightiness person to spot a mechanic for motor knocking! 

What Does Cold Fire Look Like?

Cold occurrence has different nickname, and that’s invisible fire. That’s not only because nan superior clip erstwhile cool occurrence emerges is during motor sound but because by daylight, it’s very difficult to spot cool flames.

When we opportunity very difficult, we mean astir impossible. Cool flames don’t nutrient arsenic overmuch ray arsenic a modular flame, truthful there’s little of it to spell astir successful nan first place. 

When you see really agleam daylight is, that only complicates matters.

In a acheronian environment, you person a amended chance of seeing a cool occurrence successful action, but moreover then, it’s reliable to see. 

Despite nan name, cool flames aren’t blue. If anything, nan hottest flames pain bluish and nan coolest flames pain red. Thus, a cool occurrence mightiness look red, but that depends connected what goes into its making. 

Can Cold Fire Still Burn You?

You’ll callback that acold fires pain astatine up to 752 degrees. A cool occurrence tin strengthen successful colder temperatures than that too.

A occurrence must only scope temperatures of 118 degrees to origin a first-degree pain to quality skin. If nan occurrence somesthesia jumps to 131 degrees, it tin origin a second-degree burn. 

In temperatures of 162 degrees, your tegument would beryllium destroyed.

So a cool occurrence burning little than 752 degrees tin origin catastrophic burns, and a acold occurrence burning astatine 752 degrees aliases complete could beryllium much injurious still.

A cool occurrence doesn’t person that sanction because it feels cool to nan touch. It’s because, compared to a regular flame, a cool occurrence gives disconnected little power and light.

Don’t beryllium mistaken! Cold occurrence is still occurrence and tin pain you!  

Bottom Line

Fire tin pain infinitely pinch capable oxygen, fuel, and heat. Even successful acold temperatures, nan occurrence tin persist, and it doesn’t go cold.

Cool flames, which pain pinch little ray and power than accepted flames, do exist, but usually only successful circumstantial circumstances for illustration successful soul combustion engines. 

Despite nan name, these flames pain astatine temperatures of 700+ degrees and tin lead to superior injuries and burns if you’re straight exposed!