The fire triangle consists of what three elements?

• A. Heat, fuel, and nitrogen
• B. Heat, fuel, and oxygen
• C. Heat, water, and fuel
• D. Fuel, air, and pressure

Answer: (B)

The fire triangle consists of heat, fuel, and oxygen, which are the essential elements needed for a fire to ignite and sustain combustion. Heat raises the material to its ignition temperature, fuel provides the combustible material that burns, and oxygen is necessary for the chemical reaction of combustion to occur.

Understanding this concept is vital in firefighting and fire prevention, as removing any one of these three elements will extinguish the fire. For instance, cooling the fire with water removes heat, suffocating it removes oxygen, and removing the fuel source stops the combustion.

The incorrect options do not accurately represent the necessary components of fire. Nitrogen does not support combustion and is not part of the fire triangle. Water, while it can extinguish a fire, is not one of its essential components. Air, while containing oxygen, is not specific enough since it includes various gases that are not necessary for fire. Pressure does not directly relate to the fundamental elements required for combustion.