Editing v0.34:Fire

{{quality|Exceptional|16:04, 18 February 2013 (UTC)}}{{av}}
[[Image:Running around on fire.gif|thumb|250px|''(click to enlarge)''<br />'''‼'''Dwarves'''‼''' on fire (flashing red/yellow), and trailing [[smoke]].]]
'''Fire''', like its real-life counterpart, is an immensely [[fun|destructive]] force. In-game, entities on the map which are on fire flash red and yellow. In item lists, anything which is on fire will also be surrounded by double exclamation marks, like ‼THIS‼. Fire will burn [[grass]], [[shrub]]s, [[log]]s, [[clothes]], [[dwarves]] (and generally all creatures that are not composed of [[fire-safe]] materials), wooden [[furniture]], wooden [[building]]s and wooden [[road]]s, [[lignite]] and [[bituminous coal]] rocks, and bars of [[charcoal]] and [[coke]].  Except for dragonfire, fire won't burn rock, metal or trees. Constructions (wall, floor, etc.) will never burn, no matter what.

Fires burning in the environment (e.g. burning [[grass]]) start at a temperature of {{ct|10508}} and quickly heat up to {{ct|10708}}, while burning items rapidly heat up to 200 degrees above their ignition point (but stay slightly below that, because the surrounding air cools them a bit). Items experience rapid [[wear]]-based damage while burning, and continue to degrade until entirely destroyed. [[Fire-safe]]ty for any material is defined as being stable at a [[temperature]] of {{ct|11000}}.

== Cause ==

A fire can stem from several sources, for example:
*[[Dragon]]s breathe [[#dragonfire|dragonfire]], which can set most organic things on fire and melt fire-safe stone, at anything hostile they see. The dragonfire spreads out in a conical shape and ignites anything it touches. It is not the same as regular fire.
*A [[fire imp]] can throw fireballs, which may set things alight.
*[[Magma]] can and will burn anything flammable it touches. However, any item set alight by this method will likely just be doused in magma until it is completely destroyed.
*[[Magma mist]] burns stuff just as well as magma.
*Some [[titan]]s, [[forgotten beast]]s, and [[demon]]s can breathe fire/throw fireballs, too.
*[[Fire man|Fire men]] and [[magma man|magma men]], as well as other procedurally generated beasts composed of flame, have high fixed body temperatures, causing them to spread fires (and [[fun]]) in their path.

Note that it is currently difficult to safely start (and then control) a fire. Fire is most easily started by either [[magma]] or a fire breathing attack. An area enclosed by [[water]], metal, stone or Z-level difference can be used to start a fire which can be used as a way of increasing [[FPS]] by removing objects or can be used as part of a complex trap, though this may lead to [[fun]] when something comes out burning which then sets the rest of the fort on fire.  Players of modded DF can have fire-breathing (fire spell casting) [[goblin]] castes.

== Spread ==
Fire will not spread across Z-Levels by itself. Walls with trapped passages block the fire too. Trees and shrubs will not catch fire, but you can set them on fire in Adventure Mode.

== In Combat ==
If fighting a fire-breathing creature such as a [[forgotten beast]], it can help greatly to fight it on a staircase; as the stairs themselves cannot catch fire, your soldiers will be able to hack away without actually burning.  This is further helped by fireball-hurling creatures' great preference to using fire rather than normal attacks, making them almost harmless on a staircase.  It seems that in this case, dwarves on a staircase hit by a fireball will have flashing names as though they are on fire, but will not actually take any fire damage due to not standing on a tile that is on fire, which is most likely a bug.

Additionally, fire-breathing creatures may not be immune to their own fire, sometimes causing them to burn themselves to death in a melee.

== Ghosts ==

One thing to note is that dwarves that burn to death do not leave remains and will produce ghosts even if buried in a coffin. Be sure to engrave a memorial to all dwarves that burn to ashes, unless of course you want a ghost infestation.

== Dragonfire ==

[[Dragonfire]] is a very powerful form of fire that is capable of igniting or melting many fire-safe materials. Specifically, organic materials ignite (including [[nether-cap]]), and non-flammable stones melt and boil away. Metals are apparently immune to dragonfire, even non-fire-safe metals like [[tin]].

Objects ignited by dragonfire burn at their standard combustion temperature - only the initial blast of dragonfire is able to destroy [[fire-safe]] materials.

Dragonfire can only naturally be emitted by [[dragon]]s.

== Artifacts ==

Artifacts constructed from a flammable base material can burn. As Artifacts don't wear away fire does no damage. Artifacts will burn endlessly without being destroyed. So long as the artifact is not stored in a bin water will extinguish them. If a flammable artifact is used as part of a building it can still burn.

== Dangers ==

The main problem with fire is that dwarves tend to ignore fire, up to and past the point where they become ‼Dwarves‼. As such, typical dwarven activities will be carried out despite the fact the dwarf is both burning to death, and will spread the fiery destruction to his peers. This will not only kill your dwarves but also incinerate a good many useful items. Dwarves will not path through smoke reliably, so if you see a bunch of job cancellations due to pathing issues, a fiery dwarf is probably running around (or other [[fun]] is afoot).  And don't, for Armok's sake, let the flaming dwarves anywhere near the booze. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn't ''explode'' (and never did), but it ''will'' boil away into nothing, which is always [[fun#No_Booze|fun]].
{{Category|Physics}}