FROM A YOUNG AGE, YOU ARE TAUGHT ABOUT THE DANGERS OF FIRE. DON’T PLAY WITH IT. DON’T BE CARELESS WITH IT. THESE ARE COMMON KNOWLEDGE, THINGS EVERYONE IS AWARE OF. BUT, WHAT ARE SOME COOL AND INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT FIRE THAT YOU MAY NOT HAVE HEARD ABOUT. DO YOU KNOW WHO INVENTED THE FIRE HYDRANT? DO YOU KNOW WHY FIRE STATIONS HAVE SPIRAL STAIRCASES? LEARN THE ANSWERS TO THESE AND MORE IN 7 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT FIRE.

THE FIRE HYDRANT – IT IS UNCLEAR WHO INVENTED THE FIRE HYDRANT, BECAUSE MANY PATENTS WERE DESTROYED, IRONICALLY BY A FIRE, IN THE US PATENT OFFICE IN 1836. CREDIT IS GENERALLY GIVEN TO FREDERICK GRAFF SR., A CHIEF ENGINEER AT PHILADELPHIA WATERWORKS.

FIRE STATIONS – WHY DO FIRE STATIONS HAVE SPIRAL STAIRCASES? THE HORSES THAT USED TO PULL THE FIRE WAGONS LEARNED TO WALK UP THE STRAIGHT ONES.

TEMPERATURE – FIRE IS NOT CONSTANTLY THE SAME TEMPERATURE. IT’S ALWAYS HOT, RELATIVE TO US, BUT WHAT KIND OF RANGE IS THERE IN HOW HOT FIRE CAN REALLY GET? A CANDLE’S FLAME GENERALLY BURNS AT 1000 DEGREES CELSIUS OR 1800 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. FIRE CAN HOWEVER, GET MUCH HOTTER THAN THAT. A SUPERNOVA’S CORE BURNS AT ONE BILLION KELVIN.

CANDLE FIRES – CANDLES LEFT UNATTENDED CAN EASILY LEAD TO A FIRE BREAKING OUT INF YOUR HOME. WHAT ARE THE TOP THREE DAYS FOR HOME CANDLE FIRES? CHRISTMAS EVE, CHRISTMAS, AND NEW YEAR’S DAY, AND IT’S KIND OF OBVIOUS WHY.

FIRE DEATHS – THE LEADING CAUSE OF FIRE DEATHS IN THE USA IS SMOKING MATERIALS, SUCH AS PIPES, CIGARETTES, CIGARS, ETC. AS STATED IN A PREVIOUS BLOG POST, REFRAIN FROM SMOKING IN BED BECAUSE IT COULD END IN CATASTROPHE.

COLOR OF FIRE – FLAMES CHANGE COLOR AS THE TEMPERATURE INCREASES. THEY PROCEED AS FOLLOWS; FROM JUST VISIBLE TO CHERRY RED RANGES FROM 980 FAHRENHEIT TO 1,800 FAHRENHEIT (525-1,000 CELSIUS), FROM DEEP ORANGE TO CLEAR ORANGE RANGES FROM 2,000 FAHRENHEIT TO 2,200 FAHRENHEIT (1,100-1,200 CELSIUS), AND WHITISH TO DAZZLING RANGES FROM 2,400 FAHRENHEIT TO 2,700 FAHRENHEIT (1,300-1,500 CELSIUS).

FIREFIGHTERS – IN 2013 THERE WERE ABOUT 1.1 MILLION FIREFIGHTERS IN THE USA. ABOUT 30% WERE CAREER FIREFIGHTERS AND ABOUT 70% WERE VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS.