Every color means something (or several things), and you should be familiar with them so you know what to do when colorful smoke billows out of your tailpipe. Read more: The 10 Most Iconic ...

But what if they're not? Should you be worried if you notice what looks like smoke? What should you do? The answers to these questions differ depending on the type of emissions you see.

One of the big traits firefighters look for in smoke when trying to see what fire they are dealing with is the color. “It gives us an idea of not only what is burning but how hot it’s burning ...