Black Smoke Over Beirut – Why isn’t it white?

“Black smoke rose over the city” of Haifa on Sunday morning, after Hezbollah militants fired at least 50 rockets into Israel. Meanwhile, Israeli bombs were “sending a thick column of white and black smoke skyward” over Beirut, Lebanon. And in California, firefighters watched as “plumes of gray, white and black smoke floated across the horizon.” What makes some smoke white and other smoke black?

The Explainer explains.

Often you can tell if fire fighters have reached a fire. Once they begin to put water on a fire the smoke will usually get lighter (as a result of the cooler fire and the steam I assume).