What is a Smoldering Fire?

7/27/2020 (Permalink)

Smoldering fires have no flames, are slower to spread, and have lower temperatures than flame fires!

When most people think of a fire, they picture tall orange flames, extremely hot temperatures, and maybe a marshmallow or two. 

However, there is another kind of fire that can be just as dangerous as the regular fires we see. These fires are called Smoldering fires. Smoldering fires differ from flame fires in a few ways. Where flame fires have visible flames, smoldering fires are flame less. Flame fires start in the gas phase, where smoldering fires start on the surface of a solid. Flame fires reach high temperatures, where smoldering fires have lower temps. Flame fires spread fast, where smoldering fires are up to ten times slower than the latter. Smoldering fires also produce more toxic gasses than flame fires do.  According to sciencedirect.com, smoldering fires are defined as “Slow, low temperature, flames form the combustion of a solid fuel.” To put it in layman's terms, smoldering fires are a flame less, low temperature burn. Once these smoldering fires are ignited, it is a challenge to put them out. This makes them one of the top leading causes of residential fires. 

If you experience a smoldering fire in your home or business, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us! The team at SERVPRO of NE Grand Rapids is happy to help you through this process, and restore any damage done to your home or business. Call us today at 616-647-4300!