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Thousands of gallons of fire retardant have been dropped over southern California this past week
As crews battle devastating wildfires in southern California, vivid images have emerged of air tankers dropping bright red and pink powder on Los Angeles suburbs.
The eye-catching substance – fire retardant – is now a common sight in the area, blanketing driveways, rooftops and cars.
Officials said thousands of gallons of the substance were dropped in the last week to stop the flames from spreading.
But what exactly is in it, and how does it help fight the wildfires?
The flame retardant is a product called Phos-Chek, which is sold by a company called Perimeter.
It has been used to fight blazes in the US since 1963, and is the main long-term fire retardant used by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. It is also the most-used fire retardant in the world, according to a 2022 report in the Associated Press.
With wildfires raging in southern California over the last week, images have since surfaced of the pink powder-like substance covering vehicles and driveways.
Perimeter, the company behind Phos-Chek, has advised in the past cleaning the powder off as soon as it is safe to do so.
“The longer the retardant dries, the more difficult it is to remove completely,” they cautioned.
Warm water and mild detergent are effective in
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