An in-flight fire is probably the most serious in-flight emergency, and must be brought under control as soon as possible. Considering the crucial role that time plays in this type of emergency, it is imperative that no time is lost when attempting to extinguish the fire. A study conducted by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, in which 15 in-flight fires between 1967 and 1998 were investigated, revealed that the average elapsed time between the discovery of an in-flight fire and the actual landing of the aircraft is 17 minutes.