Fire

Fires can break out in Sims' homes, burning furniture and objects. Fires can start from cooking accidents, using objects that use fire, inventing on the Scraptronic™ Workbench or magic. Fires cannot start on community lots, but can start in owned businesses.

A fire can spread from its original tile and will eventually burn objects, but if it is extinguished early enough, the objects can be saved. Urns or tombstones cannot be burned. Fire makes the build and buy modes unavailable, so Sims or objects cannot be moved out of the way, and fire alarms can't be bought.

A fire can be extinguished by any Sim, but Sims can also die in a fire. It is therefore better to call a firefighter. If a fire alarm is in the same room as the fire, the fire department will automatically be called. In most games, the Sim extinguishing the fire will "generate" a fire extinguisher to put out the flames. However, in The Sims 2 for consoles, a fire extinguisher must be bought before a Sim can put out a fire and is offered for purchase in buy mode. The player can also go to Classic Mode and put out the fire using the action. In The Sims and The Sims 2, a Live PIP is displayed to alert the player to a fire. In The Sims 3 and The Sims 4, a notification will be used instead. If the game camera isn't focused on the home lot, the notification will also have a button to bring the camera to the lot.

In The Sims 2, The Sims 4, and The Sims 3 for console, the player will not be able to save the game when there is a fire. However, in The Sims 2: Open for Business, the player can save an owned community lot during a fire and the owner can leave, although fire will automatically break out at the same spots whenever a Sim visits the lot. In The Sims 3, a warning will appear if the player tries to save when there is a fire. In The Sims 4, players cannot enter Manage Worlds or build mode during a fire.

How fires start
The most common way for a fire to start is through a cooking accident. A Sim is more likely to start a fire when cooking a meal for the first time, or one that they have just enough cooking points to be able to make. Even a Sim with 10 cooking points may start a fire when cooking a very difficult meal like lobster thermidor or Baked Alaska. Also, Sims can set themselves on fire when lighting the flambé on a Baked Alaska or Crêpes Suzette.

Fires can happen in a few different situations:

The Sims

 * A Sim cooks or grills with little or no cooking skill.
 * A Sim or object is placed too close to a lit fireplace.
 * When using the rocket set, a rocket may hit a Sim or object and catch fire. Also, if the rocket was launched indoors, a fire will always start.
 * The failed "Fire" or "Leisure" wish from a genie.
 * If the Enchant spell backfires, whatever the Sim was trying to enchant will catch fire.
 * Lighting a fireplace in the same room as an oxygen bar will set it ablaze, whether Sims are using it or not.
 * A Sim was able to go through spontaneous combustion without warning. This was uncommon and was claimed to be a bug in the very first version of the game, and was supposedly fixed by a patch. Sometimes the fire does not appear, although it would still mention that the Sim died from a fire in the family photo album.

The Urbz

 * Using the Firecracker Dance or Blow Flame can cause a fire.
 * In the Cozmo Street district, a Sim watching another Sim juggle fire sticks may spontaneously catch fire.

The Sims 2

 * There's a chance that a fire will start when Sim fails to cook food.
 * A cooked meal being left too long in the oven or stove.
 * Cooking a dessert requiring flambé, such as Baked Alaska and Crêpes Suzette.
 * Grilling indoors on a residential lot.
 * Failing while repairing a broken electrical object. If this happens, it will usually be after the Sim gets electrocuted.
 * Placing objects too close to a fireplace or the bonfire from University.
 * Using Genuine Buck's Famous Counterfeiting Machine Aspiration reward for more than three hours.
 * Leaving a christmas tree on for too long.
 * A Sim or object is standing or placed too close to the The HottCorp Burning 8-R Series Fire Jet.
 * An outdoor object is struck by lightning in heavy rains.
 * When burning raked leaves, nearby objects might catch fire.
 * Using the Weathernaught 57X aspiration reward with low aspiration can cause a rain of fire which will set the ground on fire.
 * A Sim with heatstroke will have a slight chance (0.1%) of spontaneous combustion.
 * The train set has a 2% chance of catching fire when being operated.
 * Casting the Inflammo magic spell.

The Sims Castaway Stories

 * When a volcano erupts, fireballs can rain down from the sky, causing a fire.

The Sims 3

 * Cooking on a cheap stove with a Sim that has a low cooking skill level.
 * Leaving food that is still being cooked on a stove or grill, allowing the food to catch fire.
 * Placing objects too close to a fireplace.
 * Blowing out candles on a birthday cake.
 * Failing to properly complete a science experiment (Mad Scientist, Science career track).
 * Burning something nearby, with the pyromaniac trait.
 * Getting electrocuted while being singed.
 * Starting fireworks indoors. When using them outdoors, sometimes fireworks will fail to launch.
 * Triggering a fire trap inside tombs.
 * Failure while inventing at the workbench.
 * Failing to use the blowtorch while sculpting metal.
 * Falling meteor, which may cause fire on impact.
 * Detonating an object.
 * Using a unicorn's Ignite ability.
 * Performing a bad jump on the pyrotechnic jump obstacle.
 * Performing "You Are Special" sing-a-gram, which has a chance for the Singer to catch fire.
 * Using Fire Blast spell as a witch.
 * Eating jelly bean. There is a 3% chance a Sim will catch fire when eating one.
 * Eating spicy food and getting "Too Spicy" moodlet. This may randomly start a fire.
 * Chance of spontaneous combustion if Sim's temperature is too high.
 * Stomping a lit carved pumpkin. There's a 25% chance a Sim will catch fire doing this.
 * Daring a Sim to "Divide by Zero".
 * Failing to use the firewalk pit.

NOTE: In The Sims 3, fires are much more likely to start when using cheap fireplaces, grills, or stoves. Leaving a fireplace burning for more than a couple Sim days is not advised, as it increases the chance of the object catching fire.

The Sims 4

 * Cooking on a cheap stove with a Sim that has a low cooking skill level.
 * If a Sim with a low rocket science skill uses a rocket ship, there is a chance they will crash the ship and catch on fire.
 * Sabotaging the rocketship or stuffing fruit into the exhaust port will guarantee a crash when landing.
 * A child Sim experimenting on the science table for too long.
 * Failing the bottle fireball bar trick on a mixology bar.
 * Having objects (food, books etc.) near a blazing campfire.
 * Using the transformation ray from the science career may light the object on fire instead of transforming it.
 * There is a small chance that a Sim will catch on fire after consuming the Rose Perfume serum.
 * A malfunction while creating an invention with the Invention Constructor.
 * Having wooden objects or rugs near a lit incense holder.
 * Smashing a Jack-o'-lantern that has not been extinguished.
 * Using a DJ booth for too long may set it on fire. This can be prevent by upgrading the "Advanced Heat Sink" option.
 * Lighting fireworks indoors, especially in small rooms with wooden objects.

Sims' reaction to fire
Fire in the room causes a Sim's needs to drop quickly, and Sims will panic, stopping all actions to run towards the fire and complain, becoming completely useless. While the player can cancel the "Fire!" action and tell the Sims to move away from the fire, they are likely to ignore that command and go back to the fire. Sims who have learned Fire Prevention or have the brave trait can be partially immune to this. In The Sims 3, Sims are smarter and give the player more time to choose an action, although choices are limited as many interactions are disabled. In The Sims 2: Apartment Life and The Sims 3: Supernatural, evil witches and warlocks will not react to fires that they start.

In The Sims 2, Sims observing a fire will lose hygiene rapidly, and if they catch on fire, all of their needs will begin to drop very quickly, eventually resulting in death. Other Sims can extinguish a Sim who is on fire, but it is impossible to tell a Sim that is on fire to do anything else. However, in The Sims 2, Sims who have not realized that they are on fire can be told to extinguish the fire, though they will eventually realize they are on fire, and panic.

In The Sims 3, fire will no longer cause Sims' needs to decline, though a burning Sim will receive the "On Fire!" moodlet. If not extinguished within 1 game hour (30 minutes if the Sim was already singed) the Sim will die. The Sim will have the "Singed" moodlet for a while after being put out. The singed Sim's hair will also be very messed up. In The Sims 3, Sims can walk around while on fire; burning Sims can use a pool, shower, or dive well to extinguish themselves.

In The Sims 4, Sims that catch on fire will receive a tense "I'm on Fire!" moodlet. If the Sim isn't extinguished in time, they will die. The Sim will have a tense "Singed" moodlet for 18 hours after being put out.

Sims will receive a negative memory if they witness a fire. If the fire occurred at home, they will get a memory for that, even if they were not home at the time of the blaze.

Babies and toddlers cannot die by fire. Many adults will autonomously carry babies and toddlers out of the house if they spot a fire. Sims who live in an apartment will autonomously get out of their apartment until the firefighter arrives. If the apartment has no fire alarm, the landlord will eventually call the fire department.

Many Sims will have a fear of fire, and lose aspiration points if they see one. Sims with the daredevil trait may wish to be involved in a fire whereas coward Sims will faint if they see a fire.

In The Sims 3, if the house of the family that is being played catches fire, neighbors may take notice and will stand outside of the house acting worried. Additionally, if a house next door catches fire and a firefighter goes to put it out, the other playable Sims on the active lot will run outside and panic as though the fire is on the home lot, and basically do nothing else aside from panicking. This can be considered as an annoyance to some players.

Extinguishing a fire
A fire alarm will automatically summon the fire department; a Sim can also call the fire department themselves using any phone on the lot. When they arrive, firefighters will attempt to extinguish the flames unless they cannot get to the fire. A teen or older Sim who is not on fire can be told to extinguish a fire themselves. In The Sims 3: Supernatural, an awakened Bonehilda will stop what she is doing and attempt to extinguish the fire.

In The Sims: Makin' Magic, one of the Crystal Clear Ability Rocks can give magical Sims the ability to summon a cloud that will quickly extinguish a fire. This may save the burning object, but the Sim may be fined if non-magical Sims see it happen. In The Sims 2: Apartment Life, a good witch can use the Exflammo spell to extinguish fires. In The Sims 3: Supernatural, witches can use an Ice Blast to extinguish fires.

The Sims 2: University introduces the Skimmer Securities Ceiling Sprinkler which can immediately extinguish a fire, although they leave a watery mess behind. One sprinkler will cover a 5x5 area. In Open for Business, Sims can construct HydroBots; a working Hydrobot will put out fires it can reach. In Seasons, fires caused by lightning are often extinguished by the rain.

In The Sims 3: Ambitions, Sims are able to become firefighters and fight much bigger blazes. Sims using the inventor workbench who catch fire can put themselves out by using the shower.

In The Sims 3 Pets for consoles, casting the "Bless the Mess" karma power can extinguish fires and replace burnt objects for free. The power takes about ten seconds to extinguish these flames. Sims will stop panicking and will begin to cheer when the fire disappears.

In The Sims 4, firefighter NPCs was introduced later in June 2020 Patch, but the player may buy a sprinkler system to put out fires or have one of the household Sims put it out. In Get to Work, Sims can also use a SimRay invented with the Invention Constructor to extinguish a fire. A Sim that successfully puts out a fire will gain a confident moodlet for a few hours and any Sims that witnessed the fire will be very tense afterwards.

Fire extinguisher
In most Sims games, Sims will "generate" a fire extinguisher when told to extinguish a fire. However, fire extinguishers are buyable in the console versions of The Sims 2 and The Sims 2 Pets. This fire extinguisher is required to put out a fire in The Sims 2; however, it has no use in The Sims 2 Pets. In The Sims 3: Ambitions, Sims at level 5 in the firefighter profession will have a personal fire extinguisher in their inventory, which they can use both on and off the job. In addition to that, they can be upgraded with the handiness skill, which will change the smoke and power of the extinguisher.

Death by fire
If a Sim catches on fire they can die. Catching on fire causes a Sim's needs to drop very quickly. In The Sims, Sims who catch on fire are destined to die and cannot be saved. In The Sims 2, Sims have a short period of time to be extinguished, and if still on fire at the end of the period, they will die. In The Sims 3, Sims will get the "On Fire" moodlet for an hour, and will die when the moodlet expires. In The Sims 4, Sims will get the "I'm on Fire!" tense moodlet, and will die if not extinguished in time. It is not possible for a Sim who is on fire to leave the fire behind by teleporting. They will still be on fire at their new location.

The Grim Reaper will come when they die. The Grim Reaper may pass through another Sim who is also on fire, extinguishing the flames from that Sim. It is not known whether this is a bug or a feature.

Sims who die by fire will have a flame as their grave symbol. Death by fire has its own ghost type. In The Sims 2, the Sim appears red and smoking; in The Sims 3, they appear orange with an animated flame and smoke "texture"; and in The Sims 4, they will emit smoke from their body. They will sometimes swim in pools or in the sea. While these ghosts are not always angry or violent, they are more likely to be unquiet, causing them to sometimes get easily angry at anybody. In The Sims 4, ghosts who died by fire will also set off continuous fires when they're angry. Servos, SimBots, and plumbots are naturally immune to fire, but will still panic at the sight of one. Ghosts are not affected by fire, although ghosts in The Sims 3 will still react to them. Genies have the hidden Immune to Fire trait, but do not appear to be naturally immune, meaning that genies may burn to death if the hidden trait is removed.

Aftermath
Objects that have been completely burned and destroyed will leave behind a pile of ash that must be swept up. These ash piles cannot be removed in build or buy modes without the use of the moveobjects cheat. Maids, butlers, Servos, and Bonehilda can be tasked to sweep up ashes. In The Sims 2: Open for Business, Sims can craft a CleanBot to clean up ash piles.

In The Sims 3 and The Sims 4, the insurance company will reimburse the active household for any objects destroyed by the fire. Clicking on a burned object provides an option to replace the object for its original price. In The Sims 3: Supernatural, witches can cast a fire blast spell and put it out (or aim it in range of an active sprinkler), and will still be reimbursed for the fire, even if nothing is damaged and the fire was intentional. This can be a way to gain easy money.

Related traits
Pyromaniac ''Sims can only get this trait if they are the offspring of a firefighter Sim. The trait allows them to set fire to random objects and they get positive moodlets for doing so!''

Immune to Fire ''Fire Fighters are able to survive countless fires; not because of their natural immunity to fire. It's a trait that they pass on to their children.''

Naturalist

''Sims that are Naturalists don't need to fear fire; it won't touch them, and they can extinguish it with ease. ''

Death by Fire

This Sim died in a fire, and flames haunt them still.

Trivia

 * In the Cozmo Street district of The Urbz: Sims in the City, when a Sim watching another Sim juggle fire sticks catches fire and the player's Sim works at bartending, will.i.am can tell the bartender "Yeah, baby, you're on fire!" which seems to be directed at the ablaze Sim.
 * In The Sims 2, if a Sim is relaxing on a bed, and the player blocks their way so that they can't get up from the bed, the Sim will not get burned or die of fire when the bed is burning. The bed will not turn into ash either.
 * In The Sims 2, if a family moves out while there is a fire, it will still be there when the next family moves in.
 * In The Sims 3, if a Sim catches on fire while sitting down, but cannot stand up because something is blocking their way, the Sim will not die of fire. If a Sim is carrying a baby and catches on fire (such as from a birthday cake for the baby) the Sim cannot run to a shower to put themselves out, because they cannot drop the baby, and will die.
 * Once a fire has occur, "Talk About Fire" social interaction becomes available.