"FIRE!!!"
There's a reason it's illegal to shout that in a crowded building. As humans and earthly beings, we have a deep instinctual fear and respect for the primal, raging destructive power and apparently alive, perpetually consuming nature of that chemical reaction known as combustion. And yet, we are just as deeply and instinctively drawn to fire, for those same reasons. Without fire, and our endless attempts to master it and other sources of power and energy, we would not be the species we are today. Hence myths like that of Prometheus, bringer of the elusive flame and its knowledge to our night-floundering forebears!
I haven't messed about enough lately with potions! I've done lots of spiritual stuff, hence this blog taking on a role more like my magical diary or "book of shadows", but I haven't had the space or time I'd like for serious brewing. Then came my all-out command to work with the goddess Aliria, and after that of course came moving, which just gets in the way of everything. But I'm no less of a nut for potions than I've always been. Nor for weird-ass devices and glass gizmos, for that matter. So when this post hit a social media group for "weird old finds that just need to be shared", I totally flipped out! A mysterious glass globe full of beautiful red liquid, hanging on the wall like a candle sconce? Here was something new! Except, it isn't. It's old --- quite old!
You know those funny glass barometers that hang on the wall, like a small teardrop-shaped globe with a spout, typically full of blue liquid? I first had the wild assumption this was a similar device, but for predicting a fire by some mystical means, rather than a storm. How in Fawkes' nose did that work?! Turns out its action is a lot more mundane, and a lot less technical: Ya grab the thing and huck it at a fire, dude!
The online owner happily posted the following:
"Finally somewhere to share my Pyro Ball! This was my grandmother’s. She found back in the 60s in one of the rental houses they were at while my grandfather was in the Navy. When they moved, she took it with her.
I remember being fascinated by it as a kid & as I got older, I always joked I’d steal it one day while she wasn’t looking.
She gifted it to me 8 yrs ago. Said she knew how much I loved it & thought it was time to pass it on 💛"
In response to the veritable storm of comments received, the person added:
"EDIT: didn’t think I’d have to edit BUT....
Yes I know it’s extremely dangerous...if it breaks.
I may die.
My family may die.
My dog may die.
It’s currently in storage, so only chance of death is to all our items stored with it, in a conex box (you know, the big containers on the back of a big rig).
When we move into our future home, it will be placed in a container to keep it on display but safe from someone dumb breaking it 😁 Thanks for all the info & love on it. I love it. And brings back so many wonderful memories w/my gma."
Wow.
As in, this is clearly some powerful "magick"! So, besides the pretty red globe that mesmerized members of the group, what was all the ding-blasted hubbub about?
Like all our technologies (and indeed, life itself), fire-fighting equipment has evolved over time. Fire is a useful thing, but rarely desirable in large quantities in a house. Uncontrolled, it is seldom welcome any place where people are busy living (which now is pretty much everywhere, alas).
Before the standard CO2 cylinder extinguishers with convenient hose and nozzle were invented, this glass grenade-style fire extinguisher might be the only thing standing (or hanging) atwixt a person and a building fire. Basically we have here another type of hermetically sealed, but round ampoule, filled with a substance that smothers fires. Early ones were filled with merely salt water. Then, along with the rapidly growing chemical industry, they evolved again. . . .
One commenter posted:
Hence the fear reaction, expressed by people "in the know." In a social online group with thousands of adherents, comments came in swiftly and heavily: Folks worldwide, eager to warn, to thrill, to share their experiences. Really, I love just letting the comments speak for themselves:
"Ohh those are super duper toxic. Must be disposed of by a fire crew. We have one in our basement that I'm ignoring."
"Weird Emily is like “Cool!” But Insurance Professional Emily is having a panic attack."
"They are toxic. Full of a chemical that is toxic on its own and becomes a toxic gas when hot. Please don't break it"
"Do not let that thing break that will kill you"
"Those are extremely dangerous. We had burst in our basement when I was a kid. No way would I have one in my house."
"My parents have like 4 still hung in their basement and one or two in their shed. I believe when they bust open, the chemicals displace the oxygen, and thus put out the fire. Or suck the oxygen out of your lungs if you happen to be too close. . . ."
"These are super poisonous and the carbon tetrachloride inside breaks down into a compound into a cancer causing agent. So if it breaks it’s a die now or die later depending on how old it is. Contact your local fire department for disposal."
"Makes poisonous smoke to put out fire. Later found to smother people too."
"I dropped one of these in my kitchen while packing things up for a move and talk about instant headache and nausea! I had to leave the doors and windows open and come back later."
People were also quick to offer both chemical knowledge, reassurance and advice. Someone by the commanding media tag of Crystal Law wrote:
"There is a comment above that has a link to one that looks exact and it means its red saline and safe. Preduced between 1870 and 1910."
"To anyone that owns these old fire extinguishers, if you break the glass make sure you wear protective gloves/even a face mask when cleaning up, the chemical inside has some type of nurotoxin in them & can mess you up pretty bad! On a side note I used to inspect fire extinguishers in all types of places, these & the old copper extinguishers were my favorite to come across!"
"I am assuming it isn’t just salt water . House was built in 1950 and they stopped using salt water in 1910. I am guessing mine is def CTC."
"Relax people. Yes, it is carbon tetrachloride. It’s not all that dangerous. I mean it’s not good for you, don’t go drinking it or getting it on you, but it’s still used today dry cleaning. Lucky if your ball does break, it evaporates quickly. Just leave the area for a bit."
Commenters who still possess a Pyro Ball, Red Comet, or any other of these antiquated anti-fire bombs were quick to chip in their own sympathetic position, be it for positive or fearful reasons. One person posted the rather ominous photo above, with a darkly blithe,
"Thinking I might take these down now!!"
"We have one too!" another person wrote, and posted the evidence:
These photos reveal a curious detail. Why would a fire extinguisher be way the hell up on a rafter or beam, hard to reach? These grenade-style "fire outs" may have their toxic drawbacks, but they have one advantage over a modern cylinder extinguisher: They're automatic. You needn't be standing there to use it; in fact, it does its job just as well if a fire breaks out while you're on holiday!
State of the art, 1920.
When heated sufficiently, the wall-mount melts, the heavy globe falls and breaks, and the gas spreads, hopefully snuffing the fire . . . or at least quelling the flames long enough for a neighbor to spot all the manky smoke and fumes and call the FD. Now, do I necessarily want to wait for a fire to reach the rafters before firefighting efforts commence? Well, no. But again, what if I wasn't at home?
Some people who still own one, or know someone who does, don't seem too affected by worry. After all, in some cases, the balls have hung there for decades, if not a century. A person with the wonderful tagname of Kelly Teater wrote:
"These are hanging all over my bf's Automotive repair shop.... it was built in the 30's.... they hang in the rafters above.... pretty cool!"
One N. Scoggin chipped in, "My mom and stepdads house has one of the original ones still! Also has an original oil lamp attached to the wall upstairs in the hallway still as well."
Others wrote:
"I've had one of these for about 15 years that I found in the basement of a house I used to live in, I totally forgot about it as it's in a storage box in my attic. Was totally unaware of how toxic they are if broken!"
"We have one that came out of my grand parents house eons ago. We have it installed next to the hot water heater."
"We have a couple grenades but no mounts for them. Packed carefully and labeled as dangerous!"
Some commenters, seeing that warnings had already been covered, were more keen on cheerful reminiscing, even if they no longer or had never possessed one of these curious devices. A. Ring Redmond wrote in:
"I once stayed in a historic mansion that was turned into a bed and breakfast that had one of these in the master bedroom. Very cool!"
"Growing up my friend had several. They will smother a small fire (like a trash can) but if the house were to be fire they are about as useful as a garden hose."
"We had some of these in my elementary School in the '50's. Fortunately we never had to use them."
"My grandfather had a side gig in the 1930s filling old light bulbs with carbon tetrachloride and selling them as fire extinguishers. Scary stuff."
Seriousness was infused with a hefty dose of wry humour. A Breinn Lekin wrote:
"A fire extinguisher that relies on my aim? Nah, better just run out."
"I remember hearing them referred to by the wildly technical term "fire outs" :) . . ."
"I had never heard of these and thought it said “pure hell” at first. Guess that’s not too far off if it breaks."
"Good times Grandma!"
An interesting exchange occurred that highlighted some of the challenges faced by those who either display, via a museum, or dispose of devices that contain chemicals like carbon-tetrachloride, and a related topic, weapons and munitions handling. I suppose the problem would extend to any dangerous potion or fluid! In a world where Evanesco doesn't exist, special procedures must be followed. Museum agent Nahanni Born wrote:
"I am grateful that you know it is dangerous. I work for a museum and we had one break. It was horrible. I thought we would have to burn down the entire backend because it would never be the same."
From K. Stav came the reply:
"What exactly happened?"
Born:
"We had to clear the immediate area and wait for the smell to be gone. It landed on ceramics and plastics, f I remember correctly, and they had to be tossed. The smell was horrid and made people sick. I thought I would never get that smell out of my nose. I always remember it. it was not like anything I have ever smelled before. :p
Oh yeah, this was like 16 years ago, so I forgot, but we had the Fire Department empty the other ones we had in the collection. They were taken away and the containers brought back to us as artifacts that were more stable and not a danger to the collection or staff."
Stav:
"That must've been awful, especially losing some museum pieces. Such a small thing yet so destructive, imagine that. Thank you for answering! It's great to learn something!"
Born:
"No problem. My favorite is when people bring in live ammunition or weapons for donation.... ug.... there's another bunch of stories. lol."
One C. Howes wrote:
"Shit that's awful, personally I'd try and find out if you should remove any porous media it might've soaked into as even exposure to traces can cause chronic harm. On the side of the live ammunition and firearms, both are relatively safe as long as they're stored separately; most mundane firearms in private ownership aren't going to be worth displaying unless they've been discontinued some time ago, are rare or unusual or they item has some historical value within itself, and the same can be said for cartridges with or without their projectiles. There's plenty of collectors of both firearms and ammunition who might buy more unique items if you don't want a firearms collection."
Born:
"As a Canadian Museum (category A) we are not in the business of selling anything really. We try to avoid being seen as selling anything because people might think we will sell their donations if we need money. Not what we do really. We have stringent regulations here for museums that hold firearms collections and the RCMP comes for inspection regularly. We have to disable most firearms and the exhibiting of them is a nightmare, in all honesty."
Howes:
"I honestly don’t know too much about getting firearms deactivated and ammunition rendered inert, but unless you’re close to a deactivation workshop that will do those jobs, I can’t imagine it’s a quick or convenient process. I can understand how they would be annoying to exhibit outside of, say, an arms and armour display. I will add that any shells containing Lyddite or amatol should have their filler replaced, explosives containing picnic acid or ammonium nitrate without stabilisers tend to get more sensitive with age and a cook-off of a forgotten shell (and shells can wind up being forgotten, lost, overlooked or buried in a box at the back of a room) during a fire could be devastating."
Two beautiful anti-fire ampoules with attendant hanging racks
But just as anything powerful and dangerous such as fire (or its chemical repellents) is a source of fear, so too does it attract us with that power. Many people expressed not only admiration, but longing. Sometimes it's connected to their own career or past, but other times it stems purely as a result of the awe factor. One Jeffrey Gerry wrote:
"Omfg. So jealous. I'm a huge bottle digger / collector. Have been since I was 14. Always wanted a fire grenade so damn badly!"
A Bre Sidwell added, "I want one so bad! I'm a firefighter. These things paved the way for the fire extinguishers we have today!"
One Roxana Viquez wrote with utter self-depreciating honesty: "NEVER heard of it!! Now my dumb ass will be on the hunt for one 🤦♀️."
Others:
"I’ve been looking everywhere for one! My Grampy had two that unfortunately disappeared from his estate after his death..."
"I've always wanted one of these!!! I remember seeing them at a flea market we used to go to when we were camping. It was in a field, in the mountains, in the middle of nowhere and they had the stuff to prove it. My dad was fascinated with all the old weird stuff and would spend all day talking to the people about their stuff."
"That is so frickin’ sweet. I didn’t even know these things existed! I love learning new things, especially about old items like this!! 😍"
"Am I the only one who thought it was something used to create colored flames or some kind of fancy pyro display? Disappointed to learn it's an extinguisher."
"I thought it was something to throw at a fire and make it flame up real cool until I read the comments..."
"I love these. Would love to come across this Harry Potter style firefighting equipment!"
Rare green anti-fire globe --- a priceless rummage sale find for $1! Wish it was mine.
A person called Serene A. summed up my own sentiments almost perfectly:
"I finally found something I need that I don't have, and I'm a hoarder of old things!"
Fire-extinguishing balls are still made today. They do pretty much the same thing as the old ones, and as mentioned, they have benefits worth keeping around. And of course, while they're safer, they don't look quite as cool. Says the website:
"AFO Fire Extinguisher Ball is a fire suppressant packaged in a compact and lightweight ball that self-detonates in 3 to 5 seconds when it comes into contact with fire and disperses non-toxic chemicals to extinguish the flames in an area with a radius ranging between 86 to 107 square feet. . . .
Eco Friendly, Environmentally friendly, nontoxic and safe around people and pets, made with SGS approved ABC Class Dry Powder. The AFO Fire Extinguisher Ball is an affordable fire extinguishing solution that is user-friendly, service and maintenance free for 5 years. . . .
When the activation strip is exposed to flames it will actuate within 3-10 seconds emitting a high pitched alarm (90-120dBA, within safety standards). . . .
AFO Fire Extinguisher Ball can be placed in a fire prone area and using the specially-designed stand that comes with each unit. The AFO Fire Extinguisher Ball will self-detonate when it comes into contact with fire even if no one is around; you can’t do that with a fire extinguisher."
Time rolls onward, and we are learning about the dangers of Monsanto's glyphosate, fracking chemicals in groundwater, and microplastics just as folks once learned of the dangers of carbon-tetrachloride, and rejecting them as much as we can, despite the pressure from horribly large and influential corporations that didn't exist at such strength then.
But as the popularity of Antiques stores, Steampunk, Harry Potter with its outdated retro tech, and posts like this testify, the lure of the past will likely always draw us with the promise of fascination, education, and wonder.
This article goes in depth on the history of these items:
https://99percentinvisible.org/article/stop-drop-roll-throw-fighting-fires-fire-grenades/
More info about antique grenade-type fire extinguishers:
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/great-pyro-ball-fire-grenade-132392351
https://saskmuseums.org/blog/entry/glass-grenade-style-fire-extinguisher-bombs-are-they-safe
https://statenisland.pastperfectonline.com/webobject/ECFB836C-C716-4C36-B8DD-109112171590
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