Why Does Water Put Out a Fire?

For something to burn, it must be very, very hot. When water is poured on fire, the temperature drops instantly, and the fire quickly goes out. A fire also needs air to keep going. But there's no air in water, of course. So water keeps air away from the fire, and that's why the flames go out. To make thing burn, high temperature and oxygen are needed. To put out a fire one of those elements must be removed. Water is good for fighting fire because it reduces the temperature sharply and cuts off the oxygen. It is not good for extinguishing oil fires, though, because oil floats on water, so water cannot cut off the oxygen supply. So we use foam powder and carbon dioxide on oil fires. These cut off the oxygen.