History Main / MadeOfIncendium

* White Phosphorus, known in some military circles as ''Willy Pete'' due to its usage in incendinary weapons, is extremely reactive to the oxygen in plain old atmospheric air, and will easily ignite on its own. While it will chemically transmute into the safer Red Phosphorus when exposed to ultraviolet rays (like in the sun's rays or from blacklights), and can be kept safely under water, once you dry it and scrape the red phosphorus off, it ''will'' start smouldering. Exposure to the phosphorus compound fumes from burning this delightfully volatile chemical can cause phosphorus poisoning, as the compound collects and reacts with your blood and bones, often causing a deformed appearance that used to be called "Phossy Jaw". There are [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMlXhJevCV0 several]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ud1c5w06Y5E videos]] on Youtube that illustrate how violently white phosphorus burns, as it crackles and pops and spits sticky molten globs of itself everywhere.

See also GreekFire, a legendary substance that inflicts this on other objects or people.

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* ''WebVideo/SwordArtOnlineAbridged'': Whether it's lag-infested taverns, yandere-haunted workshops, stadiums filled with rioting fans, or a giant fucking goat demon rampaging against some salamanders, it's clear the game code for ''Sword Art Online'' and ''Alfheim Online'' is overly sensitive to immolating things under pressure.
-->'''Kirito''': [[LampshadeHanging You ever notice that this game has a real arson problem?]]

* ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}: WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfTheMagicPotion'': The forest of the Carnutes burns surprisingly easily after Sulfurix tosses his ablaze fur cape into it. One may wonder why it didn't burn before.

* ''Film/CinemaParadiso'': a nitrate film fire destroys the titular cinema and renders its projectionist blind. In a later scene we're shown how new cellulose film does not present the same risk, and he laments that it came too late for him.
* ''Film/{{Twilight}}'': Vampires seem to have varying degrees of flammability. In the first movie, the protagonists kill and burn a vampire in a large fire. In the third film, Edward throws a lighter on a recently killed vampire. Both methods of burning resulted in vampire flambé. Even the latter's clothing rapidly burned away.
* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'': The Ring Wraiths will burst into flames if they come in contact with a fire source. Aragorn uses this to an incredibly effective degree in ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowshipOfTheRing The Fellowship of the Ring]]'' when he lights up half of them and hurls the torch so hard that it embeds into one's face. [[{{Determinator}} Doesn't really seem to deter them for long, though.]]
* In ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', Obi-wan kills the cyborg General Grievous by using a discarded blaster to shoot Grievous' few remaining organic parts. He quickly catches on fire, and Grievous' [[MadeOfExplodium face explodes]].
* ''Franchise/IndianaJones'':
** In ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'', Marian's bar catches fire incredibly quickly. Granted, it appears to be mostly wood construction, but unless her patrons make a habit of spilling whole bottles' worth of her very highest-proof spirits (most liquors are not flammable) absolutely everywhere to make the fire spread as quickly as it does, there's no reason the entire structure should have burned down other than RuleOfCool.
** It gets even more ridiculous in ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade'' when a similar scene (very small fire caused by a dropped cigarette lighter escalates comically quickly into a giant blaze) happens in ''a stone castle''.
* In ''[[Film/TheGreenHornetSerials The Green Hornet Strikes Again!]]'', the ocean liner "Paradise" must have been made from flash paper. In the time it takes the Hornet to force a one-page confession from a crook, a fire in one of the holds takes over most of the ship.

* ''VideoGame/HalfLife'' The headcrab zombies burn pretty easily in the sequel, though everything else does as well. Road flares and even small debris fires will send even heavily armored Combine troops aflame.
* Enemies in the game adaptation of ''VideoGame/TheThing2002'' will ignite at small fire sources. They may light each other on fire if they collide with one another, and may even light the player up as well.

* ''VideoGame/BowMaster'': In the third game, killing an enemy with fire results in it turning slowly into ash from the feet up, leaving only a charred skeleton wearing a helmet.
* ''VideoGame/{{Evolve}}'' has several fires burning in the ruined structures of its maps that never die down and don't seem to have any fuel source.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Overcooked}}'', if something on the stove burns, the fire quickly spreads to everything. Even the bare countertops burn as energetically as the charcolized remains of what's in your oven.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': One episode has a gag where Patchy leaves a note for [=SpongeBob=], but the ink runs in the water. As [=SpongeBob=] notes, whoever wrote it clearly didn't consider the physical limitations of living underwater, and they might as well throw it into the fire. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGEmnVX9TNc Which they do.]]

->''"[Chlorine trifluoride] is hypergolic with every known fuel, and so rapidly hypergolic that no ignition delay has ever been measured. It is also hypergolic with such things as cloth, wood, and test engineers, not to mention asbestos, sand, and water--with which it reacts explosively."''

--->''"[Chlorine trifluoride] is hypergolic with every known fuel, and so rapidly hypergolic that no ignition delay has ever been measured. It is also hypergolic with such things as cloth, wood, and test engineers, not to mention asbestos, sand, and water--with which it reacts explosively."''
---->-- '''John Clark''', ''Ignition''

* The element fluorine sort of invokes this trope--it causes most everything ''else'' it comes into contact with to burn. It is the most chemically reactive of the elements, often creating high heat conditions during the very vigorous reaction. Chlorine trifluoride-based fire is almost impossible to put out.
* Obese human corpses. They contain so much fat that they cause a fire hazard in crematoriums. Most European crematoriums refuse to cremate any deceased who has weighed 130 kg or more in his or her life - they need to be interred, often with aid of a mobile crane as the caskets may be too heavy for human pallbearers. [[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39735904 Several]] [[https://nypost.com/2017/04/26/overly-obese-body-sets-crematorium-on-fire/ crematoriums]] [[AluminiumChristmasTrees have actually burned down]] due to a conflagration of a grease fire when an obese corpse has been cremated.

* Obese human corpses. They contain so much fat that they cause a fire hazard in crematoriums. Most European crematoriums refuse to cremate any deceased who has weighed 130 kg or more in his or her life - they need to be interred, often with aid of a mobile crane as the caskets may be too heavy for human pallbearers. [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39735904 Several] [https://nypost.com/2017/04/26/overly-obese-body-sets-crematorium-on-fire/ crematoriums] [[AluminiumChristmasTrees have actually burned down]] due to a conflagration of a grease fire when an obese corpse has been cremated.

** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E17HomerTheSmithers Homer the Smithers]]", Homer, sitting in for Smithers while he's on vacation, tries to make breakfast for Montgomery Burns only to repeatedly set it on fire. [[PlayedForLaughs Even when he pours a bowl of corn flakes and milk.]]

* ''Franchise/KamenRider'': In ''Series/KamenRiderFaiz'', defeated Orphonochs erupt into blue fire and then crumple into dust.

* ''VideoGame/AdventureQuest'': Werewolves originally had a large weakness to fire. Eventually each update made them even weaker to the point to where they would burn from the weakest fire sources. Even normal ''[[WoodlandCreatures wolves]]'' aren't spared from the blazing weakness.
* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'' series: The Infected in Left 4 Dead can be lit up from somewhat understandable sources, such as Molotov cocktails and to a stretch, incendiary ammo. However it's most obvious when the zombies toast themselves doing relatively ''not-deadly'' things such as vaulting over burn barrels or stepping on smoldering coals. Said things at their WORST would inflict minor burning and welting. The playable "Special Infected" can be set ablaze by small sources as well, and will actively burn for up to an entire minute (depending on HP) before suddenly dropping dead; rendered to a charred heap.

** While donning the Zora's mask in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'', contact with any fire source will immediately kill you, and the last few seconds before continuing shows Zora Link bursting into flames and collapsing.
** The [[GoddamnBats Keese]] in the ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' are extremely flammable. In fact, they'll often ''[[IncendiaryExponent deliberately light themselves on fire]]'' to do more damage to the player!

** It gets [[UpToEleven even more ridiculous]] in ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade'' when a similar scene (very small fire caused by a dropped cigarette lighter escalates comically quickly into a giant blaze) happens in ''a stone castle''.