Introduction

There are three basic requirements for fire to occur: fuel to burn, air or oxygen and heat for ignition. These three legs are known as the fire triangle. Remove any of these elements and there will be no fire. Alter any of them and the fire’s behavior will change. For example, water can put out a fire by covering the fuel and temporarily separating it from oxygen. Water also absorbs heat and cools the fuel below the heat of ignition. The use of firebreaks is based on removing fuels by raking, digging, disking or plowing. Fuels can also be removed by burning under carefully controlled conditions (see blacklining).