Which term best describes the phenomenon where a fire spreads rapidly throughout a room?

The phenomenon of a fire spreading rapidly throughout a room is best described as flashover. Flashover occurs when the temperatures in a room rise to the point where combustible materials ignite almost simultaneously, resulting in a rapid and extensive fire spread. This typically happens when the fire reaches a critical temperature range, causing not just the materials directly involved in the fire to burn, but also those that had been indirectly heated, leading to an overwhelming increase in heat and flames. Understanding flashover is crucial for firefighters and safety officers, as it significantly impacts strategies for fire suppression and crew safety.

In contrast, backdraft refers to an explosive event that occurs when fresh oxygen is introduced into a fire that is in a state of smoldering, often creating a dangerous situation. Combustion is the general chemical process where a substance reacts with oxygen to produce heat and light, which is important but doesn’t specifically indicate rapid fire spread in a room. Ignition is the initial process that starts a fire but does not describe the rapid spread it can undergo after ignition.