Fire safety – the fire triangle and explosive limits

ChemistryApplied & Practical ChemistryAges 15–16

A fire only sustains itself when three elements are all present: fuel, oxygen and heat. Choose a gas (methane, LPG, hydrogen), then adjust its concentration in air, the oxygen level and the heat source to see when the mixture ignites, when it explodes, and which side of the triangle each firefighting method actually removes.