Back in the days when energy was not understood, but after the Aristotelian ideas of the elements were being shot down, folks became interested with why fire “works”. That is not in the least odd, since fire has been simultaneously our best friend and our worst enemy.
Without fire, food would be rather indigestible, especially meats and starchy things. With the heat from fire, those become much better sources of digestible nutrition. With fire, our living structures become comfortable, and without it chillingly cold and very harsh.
But fire has its own way of doing things. Uncontrolled, it is one of most destructive natural, or human created, forces. But it is NOT an element. Neither is Earth, Air, nor Water.