Why should oxygen bottles not be kept near a fire?

Why should oxygen bottles not be kept near a fire?

• A. They are part of the fire's chemistry and can feed the blaze
• B. They will automatically extinguish the fire
• C. They conserve oxygen for passengers
• D. They contain inert gas that cools the area

Answer: (A)

Oxygen fuels fires. When you have a fire, adding more oxygen or being near a source of concentrated oxygen makes fuels ignite more easily and burn hotter and faster. Oxygen bottles stored near heat are dangerous because heat can raise the cylinder’s pressure and cause venting or rupture, releasing oxygen into the flames and feeding the fire. In short, an oxygen cylinder near a blaze increases the fire’s intensity and risk of explosion, not helps to put it out. That’s why this option is correct: oxygen supports combustion and can intensify a fire. The other ideas don’t fit: oxygen won’t automatically extinguish a fire, it isn’t kept to conserve oxygen for passengers in that context, and it isn’t an inert gas used to cool the area.

Oxygen fuels fires. When you have a fire, adding more oxygen or being near a source of concentrated oxygen makes fuels ignite more easily and burn hotter and faster. Oxygen bottles stored near heat are dangerous because heat can raise the cylinder’s pressure and cause venting or rupture, releasing oxygen into the flames and feeding the fire. In short, an oxygen cylinder near a blaze increases the fire’s intensity and risk of explosion, not helps to put it out.

That’s why this option is correct: oxygen supports combustion and can intensify a fire. The other ideas don’t fit: oxygen won’t automatically extinguish a fire, it isn’t kept to conserve oxygen for passengers in that context, and it isn’t an inert gas used to cool the area.