Why are fires organized by classes?

There are six classes of fires to define the type of fire, and most importantly, the type of fire extinguisher to use to put out the fire. Here are the fire classes and the types of extinguishers you should use:

Class A - Solids (wood, paper, plastic) require water, foam, dry powder, and wet chemical extinguishers.

Class B - Flammable liquids (fuel, oil, paraffin) require foam, dry powder, and CO2 gas extinguishers.

Class C - Flammable gasses (propane, methane, butane) require dry powder extinguishers.

Class D - Burning metals (aluminum, magnesium, titanium) require dry powder (M28/L2) extinguishers.

Class E - Electrical items require dry powder or CO2 gas extinguishers.

Class F - Cooking oils and fats require wet chemical extinguishers.