Combustion Triangle

To understand why a fire extinguisher is required, it is first necessary to understand the conditions that allow a fire to exist. In fire safety, these conditions are referred to as the fire (or combustion) triangle.

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A fire occurs when all three elements of the triangle - oxygen, fuel, and heat - are present at the same time. A fire can be extinguisher by eliminating any one of these elements.

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Fire extinguishers are designed to disrupt the combustion process by removing two of the three elements. The most common type, an ABC fire extinguisher, works by displacing oxygen and coating the fuel source with a fine powder, preventing the fire from continuing to burn. A CO2 fire extinguisher suppresses a fire by reducing both oxygen and heat, effectively stopping combustion.