Aircraft battling fires raging through the Los Angeles area are dropping more than water: Hundreds of thousands of gallons of hot-pink fire suppressant ahead of the flames in a desperate effort to stop them before they destroy more neighborhoods.

Aircraft battling fires raging through the Los Angeles area are dropping hundreds of thousands of gallons of hot-pink fire suppressant in a desperate effort to stop the flames.

Parts of Southern California are covered with pink fire retardant as firefighters try to control deadly wildfires raging in Los Angeles. But what is Phos-Chek fire retardant and is it safe?

It’s widely used because it can slow flames in ways that water can’t. But it also contains heavy metals and other harmful compounds.

The powdered substance sprayed over the California wildfires is called Phos-Chek. It contains ammonium phosphate — an ingredient commonly found in fertilizer.

Perimeter Solutions, the company that makes the substance, explains its hot pink hue. As crews battle fires in Los Angeles, the hot pink fire retardant they’ve dropped to stall the flames’ advance has become one of the striking visuals to come out of the disaster.

Some of the visuals coming out of Los Angeles County over the past week show a vivid pink substance coating streets, cars and plants. This is fire retardant, dropped by aerial firefighting tankers in massive plumes of red or pink to slow down fires.

Chek, a hot-pink aerial fire suppressant, plays a crucial role in protecting communities. In view of the massive influx of pilgrims attending Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, the administration has established an AI-based computerized lost and found centre.