Fire

Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames are produced. The flame is the visible portion of the fire. Flames consist primarily of carbon dioxide, water vapor, oxygen and nitrogen. If hot enough, the gases may become ionized to produce plasma. Depending on the substances alight, and any impurities outside, the color of the flame and the fire's intensity will be different. Fire in its most common form can result in conflagration, which has the potential to cause physical damage through burning. Fire is an important process that affects ecological systems around the globe. The positive effects of fire include stimulating growth and maintaining various ecological systems. Its negative effects include hazard to life and property, atmospheric pollution, and water contamination.

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Billions of Years Ago, Fire Forged the Continents That Made Life Possible

Hubble Spots a Glowing “Ring of Fire” in a Distant Spiral Galaxy

Neanderthals and Mesolithic hunter-gathereres lit the fire: Humans shaped European landscapes long before agriculture - EurekAlert!

Tweaked lithium-ion battery can be pierced without catching fire

Fire in the sky: Strong summer storms in the Midwest send wildfire smoke into the previously pristine stratosphere - EurekAlert!

Forged in fire: The 900°C heat that built Earth’s stable continents

When Fire Brought Ice to Mars

Fire provides long-lasting benefits to bird populations in Sierra Nevada National Parks - EurekAlert!

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Voyager 1 Reconnects With Earth — And Reveals A Mysterious Wall Of Fire At The Edge Of The Solar System

Annular solar eclipse 2026: Everything you need to know about the 'ring of fire'

New look at 1755 quake, Europe’s largest ever, may foretell Atlantic ‘ring of fire’

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First Came the Fire. Then Came the Jaguars.

Colossal eruption carves 250,000-mile-long 'canyon of fire' into the sun (video)

When rainforests died, the planet caught fire: New clues from Earth’s greatest extinction

Where there’s fire, there’s smoke - EurekAlert!

Fighting fire with fire: How prescribed burns reduce wildfire damage and pollution

FDA under fire: Data discrepancies uncovered in AstraZeneca approval trials

Archaeologists Reveal Early Humans Used Fire in a Surprising Way As Early as 1 Million Years Ago