Fire can be used to fight forest fires, albeit with a certain amount of risk. A controlled burn of a strip of forest will create a barrier to an oncoming forest fire as it will use up all the available fuel.

Fire Behaviour A bushfire that can be attacked very soon after it starts can usually be controlled. Fuel can be removed by raking around the fire, or by creating a fire line around the fire with bulldozers. Heat can be removed by spraying with water. Crown fires are impossible to control directly.

An air tanker drops water and fire retardant onto a wildfire. While the Hotshots, Smokejumpers and other support crews fight the battle on the ground, they are given a lot of support from the air. Air tankers are often used to drop thousands of gallons of water and retardant onto fires.

When this happens, you may find yourself angered and tempted to respond, to throw fire back at the fire-starter. Unfortunately, this is the worst tactic to use: anger breeds more anger, fire more fire. You don’t have to fight fire with fire. After all, water works much better.

Fire can be put out with seawater, though it is not usually used to do so. Saltwater can effectively extinguish fire, but it may damage firefighting equipment and hurt plant life if used. Saltwater use creates problems for both the water distributing equipment and the surrounding environment.

If you don’t have a pan lid nearby, you can use a wet rag or towel to smother the fire. If you choose this method, make sure your rag is damp, not soaking wet, and also make sure the cloth is thick enough so it won’t catch on fire too. Turn off the burner and let the pan cool naturally.

A grease fire isn’t like a regular fire, and trying to put it out the same way can make it worse. If you’re outside grilling, you can add a layer of cat litter to the bottom of your grill to prevent grease fires from happening. To prevent them in the oven when broiling, add a few slices of bread to your drip pan.

Pour baking soda or salt on it—not flour, baking powder or other powders used for cooking—but only if the fire is small. Hopefully, this will suffocate the fire. Because fire extinguishers will contaminate your kitchen, don’t spray a fire extinguisher unless it’s absolutely necessary.

Quick thinking led the firefighter and the truck driver to grab cans of beer, shake them, and spray the beer all over the burning tire. Beer happens to be made mostly of water, so it makes an effective firefighting substance. The burning tire exploded, but the fire eventually went out.

We all learned in elementary school that fires need oxygen. You can smother a grease fire if it is still very small by putting a lid on the pan. If you do you’ll give the fire oxygen again and it can reignite or flare back up. (Again, watch the video below to see what happens when they took the lid back off.