A fire does not exist as a phase of matter. Fire is a visible chemical reaction of gases and sometimes plasmas. The reason that fires look like they are matter is that we see a large amount of reactions occurring at the same time in as a result of the flow of gasses or plasmas involved. The reaction can only take place on the surface of the gas or plasma, so as the gases rise, the point of the reaction rises, giving flames their shape and the appearance of being matter. Without energy from other matter being added to the reaction, the reaction ends and the fire "dies."
When a fire is lit or appears to spread, it is not that the fire is a physical being growing on its own, but rather the heat or other products of the initial reaction serve as a catalyst for further reactions and/or enable a solid to turn into a suitable reactive state.
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