Stability and rheological properties of firefighting foams with sodium carboxymethyl cellulose and hydrocarbon/silicone surfactants

•The yield strain and yield stress of the foam improve with the increase of NaCMC concentration.•Slight addition of NaCMC concentration enhances the foaming ability, but further addition of NaCMC decreases its foaming ability.•Increasing NaCMC concentration reduces the bubble coarsening and liquid drainage process, leading to the improvement of foam stability.•Foam stability enhancement is due to the interaction between NaCMC and CTAB, and the increase in viscosity.