Smoldering peat fires are a devastating phenomenon and destructive natural disaster that start easily and are difficult to fight. But recently published research lauds Cold Fire®, a product by Firefreeze Worldwide Inc., as a “magical suppressant” that could bring their destruction to an end.
Smoldering peat fires are also known as “zombie” fires because of their ability to smolder underground unseen and reanimate days or weeks after a wildfire is seemingly extinguished. Zombie peat fires are among the largest fires on the planet.
Most prevalent in regions like Southeast Asia, North America, and Siberia, zombie fires burn in soils rich in organic content like peat. Peat ignites during warm summer weather, continues to smolder during fall months, and can even continue to burn under snow cover during the winter, only to reemerge once the snow melts. Peat naturally contains a large amount of carbon, making zombie fires even more of a climate hazard. According to Imperial College London, zombie fires release up to 100 times more carbon than flaming fires, increasing the risk to the atmosphere and human health. In 2020, according to atmospheric monitoring service Copernicus, the Arctic released a record amount of carbon dioxide due at least in part to zombie peat fires. (1)
Tremendous amounts of water have traditionally been used to fight zombie fires. In 2008, firefighters used 21.6 million gallons of water fighting the Evans Road peat fire in North Carolina (2). But water is not the most effective tool to combat peat fires. As it seeps into the soil, water creates channels and diverts itself away from the smoldering hotspots where it is needed most.
But now, researchers at Imperial College London have shown that combining water with Cold Fire®, a premier product by Firefreeze Worldwide, Inc., could be the key to extinguishing zombie fires for good. During laboratory experiments, Imperial researchers found that adding Cold Fire® to water reduced the time it took to put out a peat fire by an average of 39%. They also found this method used only approximately a third of the amount of water required when using water alone. The study, funded by the European Research Council and the Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education, was recently published in the International Journal of Wildland Fire. (3) Cold Fire® works by reducing the surface tension of the water, allowing it to flow evenly through the soil and decreasing the ability of the water to make large channels. Firefreeze Worldwide Inc.’s testing shows Cold Fire® cools 21 times faster than water and works to remove heat and the fuel sources from the fire tetrahedron, preventing re-ignition.
Cold Fire® is not only effective, but also safer for the environment. Made from non-toxic, environmentally friendly materials, Cold Fire® reduces hydrocarbon smoke. Unlike many firefighting foams currently on the market, Cold Fire® is manufactured without perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), man-made synthetic chemicals that are known carcinogens, do not biodegrade, accumulate over time in our bodies and in the environment, and can cause negative health effects. Cold Fire® is part of Firefreeze Worldwide, Inc.’s commitment to manufacture effective fire suppression and fire safety products that meet the world’s growing need for safe and sustainable choices and offer non-toxic alternatives to the many hazardous chemicals currently on the market.
Firefreeze Worldwide Inc. was established in 1993 with Cold Fire® as its signature brand. We are thrilled to have the efficiency and safety of ColdFire® affirmed by this groundbreaking research. We look forward to further research into Cold Fire®’s potential to revolutionize the fight against zombie peat fires, prevent massive destruction from these fires, conserve precious natural resources, and protect the health of our communities and environment.
To learn more about Cold Fire®, an environmentally friendly fire extinguishing agent that puts out fire faster, safer, with less water, less damage to property, and less risk to firefighters, please contact us today.
- “’Zombie fires’ spark record Arctic CO2 emissions” by Roger Harrabin. Published 3 Sep. 2020 in BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54013966
- “Scientists Found a ‘Magical’ Solution to Fight Dangerous Zombie Fires” by Dharna Noor. Published 19 March 2021 in Gizmodo AU. https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2021/03/scientists-found-a-magical-solution-to-fight-dangerous-zombie-fires/
- “Laboratory study on the suppression of smouldering peat wildfires: effects of flow rate and wetting agent” by Muhammad A. Santoso, Wuquan Cui, Hafiz M. F. Amin, Eirik G. Christensen, Yulianto S. Nugroho, and Guillermo Rein. Published 9 March 2021 in International Journal of Wildland Fire.
