Heat carried away from a fire sideways mainly by radiation. Above the fire, heat is carried by both radiation and convection of air. But convection carries much more heat than radiation. So, it is much hotter above a fire than by its sides.
Heat carried away from a fire sideways mainly by radiation. Above the fire, heat is carried by both radiation and convection of air. But convection carries much more heat than radiation. So, it is much hotter above a fire than by its sides.