system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Can something be too cold to burn?

If we want to put out a stack of sticks from our lawn, removing the fuel or oxygen is pretty easily done. Simply take away the unburned sticks or smother the fire with sand, a blanket, etc.

What about denying the fire heat, though? Without changing the amount or availability of the fuel or oxygen, like introducing compressed (and cooled) carbon dioxide, is it possible to steal enough heat from the fire to make it quit burning? If this is possible, I suspect it would have something to do with slowing the atoms to the point the fire can no longer sustain itself, but for some reason it doesn't coalesce into a consistent process in my mind.

Sorry if this is too elementary for this sub. I actually have a decent understanding of different sciences (physical science, physics, astronomy, a little chemistry, etc), but this explanation has always eluded me.
gpt
Former US Navy trained firefighter here.

This is exactly how water extinguishes a fire.

There are four components to fire:  fuel, oxidizer, heat, and a chemical chain reaction.  Remove any one of those components, and the fire goes out.

Water extinguishes fire by absorbing heat, cooling the fuel to a temperature below its combustion point.

Blowing out a match or candle works the same way:  it cools the fuel to below the combustion point.

Carbon Dioxide displaces air, getting rid of the oxygen.  It also provides some cooling, but usually not enough to be effective by itself--it's the displacement of air/oxygen that extinguishes the fire.

We fight forest fires by depriving them of fuel.

Dry chemical and Halon extinguishers break up the chemical chain reaction, causing the fire to go out.

Firefighting foam creates a layer on top of liquid fuels, sealing out air.

Stomping a cigarette butt breaks up the fuel into smaller pieces, which are consumed before the fire can spread to fresh tobacco.  It also displaces oxygen.