Understanding The Different Categories Of Fires

There are many people who will be surprised to know that even the classification of fire comes in different types. Fire is formally categorized into five main groups namely Class A, Class B, Class C, Class D and Class K. Knowing the type of fire is quite necessary especially when you have to choose a fire extinguisher for yourself. This is because there are different types of fire extinguishers in the market that are designed to control a specific type of fire.

In case you are not sure about the type of fire you are dealing with, it is highly advised that you activate the fire alarm and leave the rest to the professionals. On the whole, the types of fires have been categorized according to the material or the fuel that is being burnt. Extinguishers are also properly labelled as to which of the types they are meant for. If you examine the fire extinguisher closely, you will see that they are properly coded with either a standard pictogram or with a letter to give the user a better idea on what they are using.

1. Class A fire

This type of fire comprises of ordinary combustibles likes trash, paper, plastics, wood, cloth or any other thing that leaves an ash. Oftentimes, water seems to be the best solution for putting off such type of fire.

2. Class B fire

These types of fires are generally fuelled or ignited by the combustible liquids. Examples of such flammable liquids include paint, oil, petroleum, gasoline and etc. It is important to mention here that this category also includes the flammable gases like butane and propane as well. Fires resulting from grease and cooking oil are not considered under Class B fires. In order to control Class B fires, you have to look for a solution that can smother the effects that deplete the oxygen supply.

3. Class C fire



Fires resulting from energized electric equipment fall in the category of Class C fires. This may include appliances, transformers and motors etc. The only difference in this class of fire is the application of power. In order to control this type of fire, you will have to de-energize the circuit and later use an extinguishing agent that is non-conductive. The usage of carbon dioxide is highly recommended in this sort of a situation.

4. Class D fire

If there is a fire that involves combustible metals, it falls in the category of Class D fire. Titanium, magnesium, aluminum, sodium and potassium are the most common types of metal fires. It is highly advised not to use water whenever there is metal that has ignited. Usage of water will only make the situation go worse. Under such circumstances, you must only use a dry powder extinguishing agent to bring the situation under control. Dry powder agents are known for their heat absorption qualities.

5. Class K fire

If there is the involvement of animal fat, grease or cooking oil then this fire falls in the Class K fire. There are galley extinguishers available in the markets that are meant to bring such situations under control.

It is highly important that you know about these types of fire and teach your children about them as well. Unpleasant situations can arise anytime and you must know how to tackle such emergency situations in a perfect manner.

Once you read about them in detail, you will see that there are some types of fire extinguishing agents that can easily be used for more than one type of fire. If you have a fire extinguisher, you must read the warnings stated on it before operating. The manufacturers are bound to label the extinguishers properly so that people get to know under which situations it would be dangerous to use a specific type of extinguisher.