How much credit does the match get for starting the fire? While that initial spark is but only a catalyst, a trigger, it ignites the fuel. The flame licks at the edge of the crumpled paper and the domino begins. The paper burns catching the fat wood. Fat wood burns slow and hot; eventually the bark of the log starts to burn and the big fire begins. Sitting, looking at the blaze, do you remember the match? Is this fire all the result of the match? A fire is about the wood. Indeed, the match matters. Nothing would have happened without the match…but a fire can be started without a match. What extinguishes a fire is the lack of oxygen. Suffocate the flame and the fire goes out. A flame must be fed. It is a fine balance between fuel and air. But even the fire forgets about the spark that set everything in motion.