Likewise, we also obviously know that fire produces heat.

According to answers on the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) website, as a liquid, water does not wet itself, but can make other solid materials wet.

Wetness is the ability of a liquid to stick to the surface of a solid object, so when we say that something is wet we mean the liquid sticks to the surface of the material.

Whether an object is wet or dry depends on the balance between adhesion and cohesion.

Cohesive force is the attractive force in a liquid that causes the molecules in the liquid to `like` to stick together.

Water actually has quite a high binding force due to hydrogen bonding, and therefore it does not wet surfaces as well as some liquids like acetone or alcohol.

That is also the reason why it is also a liquid, but the level of wetting between water, cooking oil, milk… is different.

So why is fire hot?

According to Thoght.co, fire is hot because thermal energy (heat) is released when chemical bonds are broken and formed during combustion.

Fuel + Oxygen + Energy → Carbon Dioxide + Water + More Energy

Both light and heat are released as energy.

In short: Fire is hot because the energy stored in the fuel is suddenly released.