What is the effect of removing oxygen on a fire?

• A. It feeds the flames.
• B. It suffocates the flames.
• C. It increases the flame height.
• D. It cools the pan instantly.

Answer: (B)

Removing oxygen stops the fire because oxygen is needed for the combustion process. When you cut off the air supply, the chemical reactions that sustain the flame can’t continue, so the fire is smothered and goes out. In the kitchen, this is why covering a small pan fire with a lid or using a fire blanket is effective—they block air from reaching the flames. The other ideas don’t fit: removing oxygen doesn’t feed or heighten the flames; it actually prevents them from continuing. And cooling the pan instantly isn’t achieved by starving the fire of air—cooling involves removing heat, which requires a coolant like water or proper heat management, not simply removing oxygen.