<P> One common way to extinguish a fire is to spray it with water . The water has two roles : It vaporizes when it comes in contact with fire , and this vapor displaces the oxygen ( the volume of water vapor is 1,700 times greater than liquid water , at 1,000 ° F ( 538 ° C ) it expands over 4,000 times ) . This leaves the fire without enough of the combustive agent , and it dies out . The vaporization of water also absorbs heat ; it thereby cools the smoke , air , walls , and objects that could act as further fuel , and thus prevents one of the means by which fires grow , which is by `` jumping '' to nearby heat / fuel sources to start new fires , which then combine . Water extinguishment is thus a combination of `` asphyxia '' ( cutting off the oxygen supply ) and cooling . The flame itself is suppressed by asphyxia , but the cooling is the most important element in mastering a fire in a closed area . </P>
the removal of temperature in fire fighting method is known as
cooling