Imagine a world where you can wave a magic wand and put out fires.  While magic wands probably cant do this, an electrified one can.  A group of scientists at Harvard discovered that the shape of a flame can be affected by strong electric fields, even to the point where the flame is put out.  The reason for this is not entirely understood but the scientist believe that this happens because the fire is pushed away from the fuel source so the burned parts burn out and the unburned parts don’t burn.  The researchers successfully and repeatedly snuffed a small fire almost instantly using a wand like device and “shot” about 600 watts of electricity at the fire.  The researchers do not believe that this will replace traditional methods of throwing water on the fire but it would be used more as an alternative method.  It will most likely replace fire extinguishers because it does not cause foam or water damage like extinguishers do, and it will be used as a way for firefighters to quickly get to trapped people by clearing a path through the flames.