Question

What is the best way to extinguish fire, if a person’s clothes catch fire?
(a) Throw water on the clothes
(b) use fire extinguisher
(c) cover the person with a woolen blanket
(d) cover the person with a polythene sheet

Answer 1

Fire spreads due to the availability of oxygen i.e. there is combustion and so, it means oxygen is essential and the thing which cuts down the oxygen supply best, can be used as the fire extinguisher. Now identify that.

Complete answer:
This is based on the concept of the combustion. First of let’s discuss what combustion is. By combustion, we mean the process of burning in the process of excess of oxygen and results in the formation of carbon dioxide and water. Now, considering the statement one by one as;
(a) If we throw water on the clothes, it will not stop the fire at once, we need to put a lot of water and secondly, if the fire is caused due to the electricity, then it would be very dangerous. So, it can’t be the best method to extinguish fire in such cases.
(b) Fire extinguisher is very useful to extinguish the fire but it is not present all the time and everywhere and at every place. So, this method is not so useful in these cases.
(c) When we cover the person with a woolen blanket, the supply of oxygen will be cut down which will stop the fire and hence, the person is safe and protected. So, it is the best method to extinguish fire in such cases.
(d) If we cover the person with a polythene sheet, then the person will be burnt completely because plastic catches fire easily and is highly inflammable. So, polythene sheets shouldn’t be used to extinguish fire. So, from the above it is clear that the best way to extinguish fire, if a person’s clothes catch fire is to cover the person with a woolen blanket.

Hence, option (c) is correct.

Note: Oxygen is the supporter of the combustion and the fire spreads very rapidly and quickly in the presence of excess amounts of oxygen and by cutting down the supply of oxygen, we can control the fire.