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The weather has been getting pretty cold around here lately! It’s almost winter, and there’s already lots of snow on the ground.

One of the things we like to do when it’s cold and snowy outside is sit around the Fort’s fireplace. We can drink hot chocolate, tell stories, and sometimes we even roast marshmallows. It’s so nice and warm!

But we have some /very/ important rules about being around fires, don’t we, Squeaks? [Squeaks squeaks]. We know to never get too close to any kind of fire, or play with matches or the stove. I’m sure a lot of you know these rules too!

Some of you wanted to know more, and asked us why fire is so hot. That’s a really good question! Fire is very hot, which is one of the reasons we don’t go near it.

And that heat comes from energy. You might already know a little bit about energy. It’s the reason things move and change.

Like, when Squeaks starts bouncing all over the Fort, I like to say that he has a lot of energy! We get the energy we need from the food we eat, and we use that energy to move and change when we do things like playing and growing. The energy we use when we move is one type of energy.

And heat is a type of energy, too. That’s why we get so warm sometimes when we’re running around a lot! As we run, we use up some of the energy we got from our food, and we get warmer at the same time.

Fire is kind of like that, too. When something burns, like wood in a fireplace, it changes. It starts out looking like regular wood from a tree, and then after it burns it becomes all black.

Sometimes it also gets broken up into smaller pieces we call charcoal. As the wood changes, it uses up energy, and at the same time, it gives off heat. The heat that comes from a fire happens because of something called combustion.

That’s a big word, but it just means what’s going on when something is burning. For something to burn, or combust, three things need to happen. First, there has to be something to burn, like the wood in the fireplace.

We call the stuff that burns in a fire fuel. Second, there needs to be something called oxygen, which is a part of the air that’s all around us. [Squeaks squeaks]. You’re right, Squeaks!

Fire isn’t the only thing that needs oxygen. We do, too! We take oxygen into our bodies every time we take a breath of air.

The third thing that fire needs is actually … heat! [Squeaks squeaks]. Yeah, fire needs a little bit of heat to get started. If you’ve ever watched a grown-up light a candle on a birthday cake or start a campfire, they might have used a match.

It’s the heat from the match that gets combustion, and the fire, started! Then the fuel burns, and changes, and gives off much, much more heat than it started with from that tiny match. It’s using up lots of energy as it burns, and some of that energy comes out as heat.

But when the fuel in a fire is all burned up, there’s nothing left to change and give off heat. So, if all the wood burns up in our fireplace, the fire will go out. But while it’s burning, it’s very hot!

And now you know why: it’s because it’s giving off energy. You’re right Squeaks! It is amazing!

Now, I’m out of hot chocolate, so I’m gonna go fill it up, and I’ll meet you back by the fireplace! Thanks for joining us! Do you have questions about things that happen in the world around you?

We have a website where you can send them to us! Just ask a grown-up to help you go to patreon.com/scishowkids to check it out. And we’ll see you next time here at the Fort! ♪.