This document provides an overview of compartment fires and fire dynamics. It discusses key topics like fire initiation, flame growth stages, pre-flashover and post-flashover fires. Flashover occurs when temperatures in the upper layer reach 600°C and radiation at the floor is 20 kW/m2, causing rapid ignition of combustible surfaces. Design fires are selected to model fire growth for structural design, using methods like hand calculations or parametric equations. Structural elements are tested in furnaces using standard time-temperature curves to evaluate their fire resistance.