LAist relies on reader support, not paywalls.
Freely accessible local news is vital. Please power our reporters and help keep us independent with a donation today.
How Can Banana Plants Help Us Fight Wildfires?
Banana trees could potentially help protect homes against fire. (HELENE VALENZUELA/AFP via Getty Images)
It’s a law of the universe that journalists get crazy pitches whenever some sort of big news thing happens.
And it was last October, when the Silverado Fire was tearing through the bone-dry hills of Irvine, that I got a curious note from a reputable university. A professor, it said, had an idea to use a certain tropical fruit to help fight fires like the one we were watching on TV.
Bananas.
Which was basically my first thought when I read the email, but the idea, it turns out, could have some potential.
UNPEEL THE FULL STORY
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.