Aug 16, 2010: Russia Burns

[spudcon]

Originally Posted by Bullitt

Fire sucks in fresh air from near the ground, then the heat blasts unburnt fuels and byproduct gases way up into the sky forming those giant plumes of smoke. The CO2 never gets a chance to displace the oxygen feeding the fire because it is carried up so quickly, and is actually released from the fuel source above where combustion is actually occurring.

I got thinking about CO2 being heavier than air, but I guess you explained that too.

[Bullitt]

Originally Posted by spudcon

I got thinking about CO2 being heavier than air, but I guess you explained that too.

CO2 (and CO, which is why your household CO detector should be near the floor) is more dense than air, but that density is no match for the buoyant force of the heat from the fire. However that only applies in wildfires. Unventilated structure fires are a whole different ball game.

[Griff]

Originally Posted by Bullitt

CO2 (and CO, which is why your household CO detector should be near the floor) is more dense than air, but that density is no match for the buoyant force of the heat from the fire. However that only applies in wildfires. Unventilated structure fires are a whole different ball game.

Please leave Colorado out of this, they're doing their best.

[xoxoxoBruce]

The rising superheated air will even form a mini-tornado.