Wood
combustion
There
are two stages of combustion in wood, primary
combustion and secondary combustion.
Primary combustion is the burning of the solid
materials, i.e. the wood, what causes the heat in
this stage is the breaking of the carbon bonds
where the energy is stored. This is the second
transfer of energy in the process of heating your
house; the stored energy in the wood is being
transferred to radiant energy when the carbon
bonds break.
Image from: http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geophysics/fire1.htm
Secondary combustion is the burning of gas fuels,
which is where the flames of a fire come from.
Image from:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geophysics/fire1.htm