Ted,
“Vitiation of a fire” is a common term or phrase in the description of room or compartment fire dynamics and modeling. One published definition is:
"Vitiation – severe reduction in the growth of a compartment fire by the initial fuel package being immersed in the descending, O2-depleted, upper layer."
Reference:
Kennedy, Patrick, Kennedy, Kathryn, Flashover and Fire Analysis - A Discussion of the Practical Use of Flashover Analysis in Fire Investigations; Proceedings - Interflam 2004; Interscience Communications, London, 2004
Pat Kennedy, CFEI, CFPS, MIFireE
Fire and Explosion Analyst
Sarasota, Florida
[
www.kennedy-fire.com]