Authorities battling a series of large wildfires in the Los Angeles area have employed a bright red fire retardant to tamp the flames, leading to dramatic images of the material blanketing scores ...

Fire retardants, on the other hand, contain fertilizer and other ingredients that don't evaporate once the water they're mixed with is gone, delaying a fire's spread for days, weeks or longer.

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 ...

It's apparent that these red trails are used to stop the spread of wildfires, but what makes up fire retardant and why is it different than only using water to fight wildfires? What is the red ...