who discovered fire

Fire was not discovered by a single individual but was likely first controlled and used by early human ancestors known as Homo erectus about 1 to 2 million years ago. Homo erectus is credited with being the first hominid to use fire in a controlled way, helping with warmth, protection, cooking, and toolmaking. The knowledge of fire likely evolved gradually as early humans observed natural fires, such as wildfires, and learned to harness and create fire themselves. Later, Neanderthals and modern Homo sapiens also mastered fire usage and creation techniques, with evidence showing increasingly sophisticated fire control from about 400,000 years ago onward. The discovery and control of fire were critical steps in human evolution and civilization development. In essence, fire control was a collective discovery by early human ancestors rather than a discovery by one person or species at one moment in time.