If there’s a fire, then you probably won’t be thinking about what type of fire it is. You’ll want to put it out as soon as possible. That’s a reasonable reaction, but you do actually need to know the type of fire so you can act appropriately. Not all fires are safe to tackle alone, and sometimes it’s safer to evacuate.

Here are the types of fires you should be aware of, and when you should extinguish them or evacuate the building.

Types of Fires 

There are five main types of fires that you come into contact with, and that you’ll need to be aware of. They’re usually classified by what is currently on fire, as this affects how they are extinguished. This also will show how dangerous each type of fire can be, which you’ll need to take into account.

Here’s each type, how to spot them and how to deal with them.

Class A: A Class A Fire is a fire started by any solid matter. This could be wood, paper, clothing, plastic, and so on. These ones are fairly easy to extinguish, as you can use a water or foam extinguisher to put them out. If you’re safe to do so and the fire is contained, you can deal with this fire yourself. 

Class B: A Class B fire will involve flammable materials. They can be liquids, such as gasoline, solvents, alcohols, and oils. They can also be gases such as propane and butane. If you’re looking to put one of these fires out, don’t use water. Water will spread the fuel around, which increases the fire and makes things a lot more unsafe for you. If you have access to foam, powder, or carbon dioxide extinguishers, use these to put the fire out.

Class C: A Class C fire is an electrical fire. These happen most often when electrical equipment is used incorrectly, or when outlets are overloaded. Again, you can’t use water to put these fires out as it conducts electricity, making the situation more dangerous. If you can do so safely, disconnect the item on fire from the mains, and then you can treat it as a Class A fire. If you can’t though, it’s better to evacuate.

Class D: A Class D fire involves combustible metals, like magnesium, lithium, and potassium. As such, you’re much more likely to come across this type of fire in an industrial setting. These require dry powder extinguishers, which should be made available by the workplace.

Class K Fire: These fires are kitchen fires, so they can either happen at home or in industrial kitchen settings. They usually involve cooking greases and oils. In an industrial setting, you’ll have wet chemical extinguishers on hand to put these out, as well as fire blankets. In the home setting, you can also put them out with a damp towel or by putting a lid on the pan that’s on fire.

Extinguish or Evacuate? 

Here’s the big question. If you come across any of these fires, can you safely extinguish them, or do you need to evacuate? It all all depends on the situation, where you are, and what you have available to you.

Here’s what you should keep in mind.

Size of the fire: You have to consider whether the fire is small enough for you to handle on your own. If it’s small and contained, then you can probably put it out with the right tools. For example, a fire in a cooking pot or in a waste paper bin would be mostly safe to handle. 

Toxic smoke: As the fire is happening, is there toxic smoke? No smoke is good, but smoke from certain fires, especially Class B fires, are going to be dangerous. If there’s too much smoke, it’s better to get out and allow the firefighters to handle it. 

An escape route: No matter what fire you’re facing, you need to be sure that you can get out if needs be. You may not be able to put the fire out totally. If you can’t, can you get out safely? If not, again leave it to the professionals and get out.

Remember to trust your instincts in a fire situation. If you find a fire and you feel you can safely put it out, then do so. If you feel it’s too unsafe, or start to panic, then it’s much better for you to escape. It’s better for firefighters to put out a small fire than it is for you to try and tackle a large one and get injured in the process.

In a workplace, remember to raise the alarm before you attempt to tackle the fire. Pull the alarm pull and ensure that people are evacuating as you put the fire out.

If you’re at home, again yell to raise the alarm and ensure everyone gets out. Either way, there should be a fire evacuation plan in place, so everyone knows what to do should a fire break out. If you test and practice those plans, there shouldn’t be a problem in the event of an actual fire.

Call On the Experts 

Before a fire has the chance to occur though, you’ll need to take steps to make your building safe. Every business should use a fire safety service to assess their building and help reduce the risk of fire.

They will ensure you’re up to your state’s code, as well as testing and maintaining the fire extinguishing equipment in the building. If you do choose to extinguish a fire, they will ensure an extinguisher is nearby and ready to use.

Conclusion

Now you know the main types of fires and how to respond to them. Always trust your instincts, and get out if you feel the situation is unsafe. If not, you should be able to tackle the fire safely with the right tools.