# Can you put out fires with water?

**URL:** <https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/can-you-put-out-fires-with-water/3230>\
**Category:** The Bunker\
**Created:** [September 26, 2013, 3:14am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/can-you-put-out-fires-with-water/3230 "2013-09-26T03:14:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![An0n3](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/an0n3/32/2257_2.png) [@An0n3](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/An0n3)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 10:32pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/can-you-put-out-fires-with-water/3230/21 "2013-09-30T22:32:11Z")

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Be careful though, alcohol vapor is very flammable.

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**Author:** ![DrPepperNapalm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@DrPepperNapalm](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/DrPepperNapalm)\
**Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 6:58pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/can-you-put-out-fires-with-water/3230/22 "2013-10-03T18:58:43Z")

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> [@i2amroy](#):
>
> Actually any sort of alcohol under 100-proof (which is many) won’t really catch fire or burn (if it does at all) since it simply contains too much water.

This is why liquor stores being molotov factories bugs me a little.

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**Author:** ![Iosyn](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/iosyn/32/35_2.png) [@Iosyn](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Iosyn)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 5:20pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/can-you-put-out-fires-with-water/3230/23 "2013-10-04T17:20:58Z")

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well y’know for a good molotov you really need some kind of thickener, be it hand soap, sugar, liquid detergent, engine oil, rubber, styrofoam etc…  
(styrofoam mixed with petrol is practically home-made napalm. Don’t do this at home, kids. Nearly lost my eyebrows last time.) side affects of adding a thickener is that you get a lot more smoke and the mixture is much more prone to sticking to surfaces.  
Additionally if you can get something like a test tube of nitric acid and some sodium or magnesium…

Anyway, as to less than 100% proof alcohol… Personally I’d recommend something like turpentine or rubbing alcohol, both are things that can be found around the average home. I’d wager than you could also find both in supermarkets and some rubbing alcohol sold in pharmacies.

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**Author:** ![An0n3](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/an0n3/32/2257_2.png) [@An0n3](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/An0n3)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 5:34pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/can-you-put-out-fires-with-water/3230/24 "2013-10-04T17:34:23Z")

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Proper molotov use is to light the wick and then roll or toss the bottle towards the intended target. When the fire hits the reactants inside it’ll burst spraying flammable liquid AND firing glass sharpnel all over the place.

Throwing them so they break on contact certainly works but it’s not the most devastating way to use one.

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