This gel could help save homes during wildfire season

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A new gel could better stop homes from catching fire, researchers have found, as the US battles yet another intense wildfire season. “We’ve developed a gel that would have a broader application window – you can spray it further in advance of the fire and still get the benefit of the protection – and it will work better when the fire comes.” open image in gallery A home is engulfed in flames during the Thompson Fire in northern California last month. Stanford University researchers say their gel could protect homes like these for longer than current commercial gels. ) “That foam is highly insulative and ends up scattering all of the heat, completely protecting the substrate underneath it.” After testing several iterations of the gel on plywood and exposing the gels to a gas hand-torch - which burns hotter than wildfires - the most effective gel lasted for more than seven minutes, according to the Stanford team.