Whenever wood is burned in a woodstove or fireplace, the possibility of a potentially dangerous chimney fire must be considered. Fire-Out is a method of automatically extinguishing such a fire.
Wood fibers contain complex hydrocarbon molecules.
When wood is burned, several things must occur. Some heat must originally be applied to break down those very large molecules into smaller parts, such that some individual carbon and hydrogen atoms become broken free. Next, an adequate supply of air must be available such that the oxygen from the air can chemically combine with these free atoms. The carbon atoms combine with oxygen atoms to eventually create carbon dioxide. Pairs of hydrogen atoms combine with oxygen to form water vapor.