Fire for protection and cooking was first used by

The correct option is A Java man
The 'Java man' was a group of fossils found by Dutch physician Eugene Dubois in the Dutch East indies. Fire for protection and cooking was first used by Java man. Java man predates Peking man and is usually considered somewhat more primitive. They were characterized by a cranial capacity averaging 900 cubic cm (smaller than those of later specimens of H. erectus), a skull flat in profile with little forehead, a crest along the top of the head for attachment of powerful jaw muscles, very thick skull bones, heavy brow ridges, and a massive jaw with no chin.

Therefore, the correct answer is option C.