The devestating Blue cut fire failed to burn any homes that had been covered with fire-resistant gel, including a new version being tried by fire officials for the first time, according to the San Bernardino Fire Department.
For more than two decades, gel has proven its ability to resist flames and protect buildings.
"We've had a 100 percent success rate so far," said San Bernardino County Fire Capt. Shane Glaze, who described his department as an early adopter of the technology. "Nothing is fireproof, but we apply the gel, and for the most part, the fire cannot penetrate through."
Sadly, as quickly as the Blue Cut Fire expanded, the county's gel strike teams could not get to every structure that was threatened, and some 100 burned.