"(CNN) -- Could firefighters one day use an electric wand to zap flames away?

In a new study, Harvard University scientists say they used an electric field to extinguish an open flame more than 1 foot tall -- a development
they say could yield fire-suppression alternatives to water and
chemical retardants."

"In an ACS news release, Cademartiri speculated that devices based on the phenomenon could be embedded in buildings like water sprinklers, ready to zap fires with electric fields.

Or, firefighters might carry a device in a backpack (Cademartiri believes a 10th of the wattage used in the experiment could have a similar effect) and distribute the
electric field with a handheld wand, perhaps creating viable escape
paths if nothing else. Asked whether carrying this electric power into a
fire would be problematic, he said much depends on how a device is
engineered, but electric fields could be generated safely."

Pretty cool!