Classification of Fires

As explained also. We can say that the four main sources of fire risk in the science laboratory are:

i) flammable substances,

ii) compressed and liquefied gases,

iii) hazardous materials and reactions, and

iv) the availability of sources of ignition.

It is standard international practice to classify the main sources of fire according to their nature. In many directions and instructions on fire fighting equipment, a fire classification code is generally used to describe certain types of fires. The classification is summarised in the table given below.

Table: Classification of fires.

After getting familiar with the general causes and types of fires, you will study in the next section about the precautions to be taken to prevent any type of fire.