Oxygen tanks caught fire and killed bus travellers - how? why?

[frank10290]

How are oxygen tanks capable of catching fire?

I read earlier that the basic fire equation was:

Oxygen (Air)+Fuel+spark(Fire)=Fire(kaboom!)

How do O2 tanks do it all by themselves -- or do they?

[brachiopod]

Ignorant news copy writers think they catch fire. Of course, in an enriched oxygen atmosphere, fuel material will burn more rapidly and intensely. Additionally, material that would not normally combust in a standard atmosphere will burn in an enriched oxygen atmosphere, and will also combust at a lower temperature.

Incidentally, you can burn diamond by heating it up to about 1800�C and dropping it into liquid oxygen.

[Hamish]

Actuall oxygen can be burnt in flourine....