RV FEATURE
Using the thermometer , I immediately checked the temperature of each . The fire that I smothered with dirt registered a skin-melting 130 ° C … in fact , 130 ° C was the maximum temperature that my thermometer could read . I suspect a better , or more sensitive , thermometer would ’ ve registered a higher temperature . Regardless , it ’ s safe to say that skin exposed to 130 ° C for even the briefest of moments would do immense damage .
I waited an hour and re-tested . The temperature had reduced to about 75 ° C – still hot enough to cause serious burns . I will note , though , that because the fire had been covered with dirt , it was impossible to confirm if I was measuring with the thermometer directly against coals , where it would be theoretically the hottest . In any event , 75 ° C against skin would be a very bad day .
The fire that was extinguished with water , however , was safe to touch almost immediately . Once the smoke had cleared , I tested the temperature in a few different places . The first , with the thermometer sort of resting in the water pooled at the bottom , revealed a temperature of 38 ° C . I also poked the thermometer into a split inside a remaining piece of firewood , revealing a temperature of 60 ° C – hot enough to potentially cause a third-degree burn , though unlikely since it was inside the wood . The surface temperature of the wood registered below 30 ° C , safe enough to touch .
Some might quibble at the temperatures I recorded in this test , or the way I went about it . But assuming the thermometer was accurate – it was brand new and I had no reason to suspect it wasn ’ t accurate – the results speak for themselves . The only safe way to extinguish a fire is to use a sufficient quantity of water . Sand or soil might put out flames , but the coals will retain unsafe levels of heat for hours afterwards – a recipe for disaster .
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