So is it just the definition of “fire” itself? Like only something burning with oxygen is “fire” but if it’s another fuel source it’s not technically “fire” but we call it fire anyway?
Burning with oxygen is oxidation, things oxidize when the element oxygen binds with another element, which it’s very prone to doing. Oxidation with iron is rust, it just happens much more slowly (but still exothermically) than when biological compound oxidize they release energy more rapidly, rapidly enough to cause other nearby organic bonds to break and expose themselves to sites for more oxidation to take place.
There can be electrical fires, chemical fires, classic fires, and self fueling fires (the kind you were originally asking about). There are probably more categories now. Always be sure to use the proper fire extinguisher for the fire at hand.
So is it just the definition of “fire” itself? Like only something burning with oxygen is “fire” but if it’s another fuel source it’s not technically “fire” but we call it fire anyway?
Burning with oxygen is oxidation, things oxidize when the element oxygen binds with another element, which it’s very prone to doing. Oxidation with iron is rust, it just happens much more slowly (but still exothermically) than when biological compound oxidize they release energy more rapidly, rapidly enough to cause other nearby organic bonds to break and expose themselves to sites for more oxidation to take place.
There can be electrical fires, chemical fires, classic fires, and self fueling fires (the kind you were originally asking about). There are probably more categories now. Always be sure to use the proper fire extinguisher for the fire at hand.
I can’t find anything that says it’s not considered fire if it’s not burning with oxygen, just that a fuel needs to be oxidizing and combusting, and the definition of oxidation has expanded so it doesn’t necessarily require actual oxygen anymore (even though that’s how the word originated).
Here’s a neat clip I found of hydrogen-chlorine fire.