California teen invents new type of fire extinguisher to protect homes

published 4 August 2021

Arul Mathur has come up with an invention that he hopes can be used as a tool by homeowners looking to protect their property from wildfires.

The California teen has created the Fire Activated Canister Extinguisher, better known as F.A.C.E. This portable device can be set up anywhere, from a fence to a front porch, and has a glycerin bulb that bursts when it reaches 155 degrees Fahrenheit. As soon as that happens, fire retardant flows through and disperses in a 360 degree spread. Once F.A.C.E. is installed, "it's there, it's ready and it doesn't require any more manual intervention after that," Mathur told NowThis Kids.

All profits from F.A.C.E. sales go toward donating more devices to areas where the risk of a wildfire is high. Mathur said the intent is to distribute them in a way so they can create a fire break, forming a boundary where blazes can't pass through. Mathur told NowThis Kids he hopes that other young people who are interested in engineering or design are inspired by F.A.C.E. "If you want to create change, I say just trudge on forward no matter what obstacles you face, and you'll certainly have an impact," he said.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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