Fire

Fire

Fire bursts out. This is a very serious problem in The Sims.

Fire can happen in Sims' homes, burning furniture and objects. Fires can start from cooking accidents, using objects that use fire, or magic.

Fires can spread from their original tile and will eventually burn objects, but if it is extinguished early enough, the object 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 purchased.

A fire can be extinguished by any Sim, but Sims can also die in a fire. It is therefore better to call a fireman. 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.

A fire message in The Sims 3 for PC

As of The Sims 3 for PC platforms, the message "A fire has started on your home lot" will be displayed to alert the player to a fire. This message is also used in The Sims 3 for consoles.

In The Sims 3, a warning will appear if the player tries to save when there is a fire.

How fires start

The main way to start a fire 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 he or she has just enough Cooking points to be able to make. Even a Sim with 10 Cooking points may start a fire if he/she is cooking a very difficult meal like Lobster Thermidor or Baked Alaska (A Sim can perfectly cook a Baked Alaska, but drop it while lighting the candle on top of the cake, setting the Sim on fire).

Fires can happen in a few different situations. They are:

The Sims

Soon to be dead sim.

• A Sim with little or no Cooking skill decides to cook a meal and messes up the oven, setting it ablaze.
• A Sim, probably trying to create a romantic and cozy atmosphere, lights the fireplace. If there is furniture, such as rugs or tables, too close to the fireplace, sparks can jump out and cause them to catch fire. Before the Sim knows it, the entire living room is in flames.
• A foolish Sim, attempting to raise their Fun bar, sets off the rocket set. A rocket hits them and they catch fire.
• A player chooses the "Sands of the Desert" option when talking to a Genie.
• If the Enchant spell backfires, whatever the Sim was trying to enchant will catch fire.
• If fireworks are launched inside a fire will start.
• If a Sim lights a fireplace and there is a barbecue grill nearby (it is filled with gasoline).
• With the Superstar expansion pack, lighting a fireplace in the same room as an oxygen bar will set all the Sims using the oxygen bar on fire.
• In the Cozmo Street district of The Urbz: Sims in the City, a Sim watching another Sim juggle fire sticks may spontaneously catch fire.
• In The Urbz: Sims in the City, using Firecracker Dance or Blow Flame can cause a fire.
• A Sim in the original The Sims can go through spontaneous combustion without warning. It's the rarest way, and also considered to be a glitch. Sometimes the fire does not appear as well.

The Sims 2

Put a rug in front of a fireplace is not a good idea.

• A cooked meal is left too long in the oven, stove, or microwave.
• Cooking a dessert requiring flambé, such as Baked Alaska and Crepes Suzette.
• Grilling indoors on a residential lot.
• Failing while repairing a broken electrical object. This happens usually after the Sim gets electrocuted.
• An object is placed 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 flame jets. Additionally, Sims might catch fire while roasting marshmallows.
• 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.
• In a very rare condition, a Sim with heatstroke will have a slight chance (0.1%) of spontaneous combustion.
• Using the train set. There is a 2% chance the train will catch fire when being operated.
• Casting Inflammo magic spell.

The Sims 3

A low cooking skill will result this.

• Cooking on a cheap stove with a Sim that has a low cooking level.
• Cancelling the "Continue Cooking" action while food is on a stove or grill, and allowing the food to catch fire.
• Failing to properly complete a science experiment (Mad Scientist, Science career track).
• Blowing out candles on a birthday cake.
• Starting fireworks indoors (when using them outdoors, sometimes those fireworks will fail to launch).
• Triggering a fire trap inside tombs.
• Using the pyromaniac trait.
• A Sim repairing an electronic object (such as a dishwasher) and has already been electrocuted.
• Occasionally, an item a Sim is inventing will explode, setting the Sim on fire.
• The blowtorch used when inventing and sculpting metal can also explode and set the Sim on fire.
• If a meteor falls onto a lot, the explosion of the meteor can start a fire.
• Placing objects too close to a fireplace.
• Occasionally, when an item is detonated, it may be set ablaze.

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

Sims' reaction to fire

Panic!

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, the Sims may cancel that action and go back to the fire. Sims who have learned Fire Prevention can be partially immune to this. In The Sims 3 however, Sims are smarter and have more time for the player to make an action. Of course, many interactions are disabled during this time so choices are limited. Catching on fire causes a Sim's needs to drop very quickly. It is impossible to tell a Sim that is on fire to do anything else, but another Sim can extinguish him or her. 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 fire fighter 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. If a fire is started by an evil Witch/Warlock, she or he will not react to it.

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 really worried. Additionally, if a house next door catches fire and a Firefighter Sim (Ambitions) 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.

Extinguishing a fire

A fire alarm will automatically call the fire department; unless the firemen cannot get to the fire, they will extinguish the flames. A Sim can also call the fire department using either a house phone or a cell phone. A teen or older Sim who is not on fire can try to "Extinguish" a fire.

With 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. With The Sims 2: Apartment Life, a good witch can use the Exflammo spell to extinguish fires.

The Sims 2 University introduced sprinklers that will immediately extinguish a fire, although they leave a watery mess behind. In Open for Business, Sims can construct HydroBots, which will put out fires when working. In Seasons, fires caused by lightning are often extinguished by the rain.

In The Sims 3: Ambitions, Sims are able to be firefighters and fight much bigger blazes. Those firefighters are also equipped with a fire extinguisher in their inventory, which they can use both on and off the job.

In The Sims 3: Ambitions, Sims using the inventor workbench who catch fire can put themselves out by using the shower.

Death by fire

This Sim will die if not put out soon.

If a Sim catches on fire they can die. Catching on fire causes a Sim's needs to drop very quickly. Unlike other types of death, even if 3 of the burning Sim's needs don't deplete to empty (Such as dragging the needs to full by boolprop), they will die if not extinguished. It is not possible for a Sim who is on fire to leave the fire behind by teleporting. He/she will still be on fire at his/her 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.

A Sim who dies by fire will have a flame as its 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". 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.

Note that in The Sims, even though a Sim is extinguished, he/she will still die.

Related traits

This section describes features that are only available in The Sims 3.

Pyromaniac

Sims can only get this trait if they are the offspring of a firefighter Sim. The trait allows them to set fire to a 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.

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.
• 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 3, if a Sim catches on fire while sitting down, but cannot stand up because something is blocking its 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.
• There is a way to enter Build/Buy Mode while there is a fire, simply open the cheat box (by pressing ctrl+shift+c all at the same time), and type in "AlwaysAllowBuildBuy true" this will let you go onto build/buy in any situation, if you use this along with the "moveobjects on" cheat you can move Sims away from the fire, or even quicken their death, (make sure there is a flame that has just started and is barely noticeable, and place your Sim over the flame to kill them).
• Normally, the game cannot be saved while there's a fire on the lot. However, in ownable community lots, the lot can be saved, and the owner can leave. Whenever a Sim visits the community lot, however, fire will automatically break at the same spot.
• SimBots are the only life state in The Sims 3 that are immune to fire, the other being Ghosts. However, the Immune to Fire hidden trait can make a Sim that is affected by fire (Humans and Vampires being examples of this) be immune to it, as SimBots are.
  • Since SimBots and ghosts are naturally immune to fire, the trait would be useless to them.
• In The Sims Castaway Stories, when a volcano erupts, fireballs can fall from the sky causing a fire.

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