Volcanology is replete with reminders of its nonscientific past. This lack of understanding transcended cultures. Fire was considered responsible for, and indeed synonymous with, lava. There was some logic to this. Fires are hot, and so is lava.
Flame is orange, and so is lava.
Fire is mesmerizing, and so are eruptions. Both fire and eruptions were viewed as mysterious natural sources of heat that must somehow be related. But we have made progress in understanding nature. Some of the melted rock, magma, rises buoyantly to the surface and erupts as lava, and some is trapped underground, cools slowly, and forms rocks such as granite. It is clear today that we should avoid confusing fire with lava.