planes struggling Fire is raging in the Los Angeles area are ruining more area than Water: Hundreds of thousands of gallons of hot-pink fire suppression material has been dropped ahead of the flames to stop the flames before they destroy more neighborhoods.
Fatal The fire, which started last Tuesday, January 7, has displaced thousands of residents and destroyed more than 12,000 structures. Santa Ana winds According to Cal Fire, about 62 square miles have burned.
Fire agencies say suppressants – which are often used to fight wildfires – are an invaluable tool. But what do they contain and are they safe?
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Know here what it is:
When are fire extinguishers used?
Cal Fire said the fire is spreading rapidly in canyons and other rugged terrain that is difficult for firefighters on the ground to reach.
Although fire extinguishers can be very effective, they have limitations, the agency said. High winds can make it very dangerous to fly at the low altitude required for droplets and can destroy the retardant before it hits the ground.
In addition to Cal Fire, multiple agencies dropped fire retardant and water, including the U.S. Forest Service, Los Angeles and Ventura County fire departments, the city and the National Guard.
What is in aerial fire extinguishers?
Aerial fire suppression is typically a mixture of water, ammonium phosphate — essentially fertilizer — and iron oxide, which is added to make the retardant visible, said Daniel McCurry, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Southern California.
The Forest Service, which has used 13 planes to dump suppressant substances on the Los Angeles fires, says they help extinguish fires by oxygenating them and slowing the burning rate by cooling and coating vegetation and other surfaces. Let's slow down.
Perimeter, the company that supplies fire retardants to the Forest Service and other agencies, says phosphate changes the way cellulose in plants decomposes and makes them non-flammable.
Fire extinguishers are generally considered safe for people, but many are concerned about their potential effects on wildlife.
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Due to potential health effects on fish and other wildlife, the Forest Service prohibits the use of aerial suppressants on waterways and endangered species habitats, “except when human life or public safety is threatened”.
USC's McCurry said he and other researchers tested several suppressants and found heavy metals, including chromium and cadmium, in one commonly used by the U.S. Forest Service.
McCurry said the study's findings suggest it is “plausible” that fire suppression medications could contribute to the increase of chromium and other heavy metals in wildfire waterways.
“We don't have a smoking gun yet because it's difficult to prove, although not impossible,” McCurry said. “We are working on it.”
Forest Service fire retardant manufacturer Perimeter said McCurry's research was on a formulation that was not used in California and is no longer used by the Forest Service. The company also says it doesn't add metals, which it says are naturally present in all ammonium phosphate fertilizers, and its aerial suppressants “have been extensively tested by the USDA Forest Service and meet all health and safety standards.” Meets or exceeds standards.”
Using flame retardants to protect the power grid
Many power companies in the Los Angeles area are also using flame retardants to help protect power poles and lines, CBS Los Angeles reported,
Crews have been working for days, stopping at as many power poles as possible at the edges of wildfires — the Palisades Fire along the Los Angeles coast and the Eaton Fire in the mountains above Pasadena and Altadena.
First, they clear dry bushes from the area around the poles, then they use their trucks to apply fire retardant on each electric pole – the same substance that is dropped by fire-fighting aircraft from above. They try to sprinkle it as close as possible to the pillars and into all the cracks, so that the embers cannot get a foothold.
“This way, if or when the fire spreads like this, we don't have to worry about embers catching on,” said Connor Norton, one of the PG&E employees working in North Hollywood on Sunday.
“The best way to save lives”
The use of fire retardants is essential to extinguish forest fires that affect millions of people. health riskWhich also includes a toxic mixture of microscopic particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream and cause breathing and heart problems.
Studies have shown that wildfire smoke has contributed to more than half of all health-harming particle air pollution in the western US in recent years, as rising temperatures have fueled more destructive fires.
And research released last year by the Alzheimer's Association found that wildfire smoke may be worse for brain health than other types of air pollution, increasing the risk of dementia.
“Using wildland fire retardants is the best way to save lives, protect communities and keep fires at bay,” said Edward Goldberg, vice president of solutions at Perimeter.
McCurry, the USC researcher, said more studies are needed on firefighting drugs — including in Los Angeles after the fires are extinguished — but he understands their value: “If there was a brush fire coming to my house, I'd still rather have a lot of (fire retardant) on the front of it than paint.”
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Contributed to this report.