How Sound Waves Could Help Protect Homes from Fire

Courtesy of Sonic Fire Tech

Imagine a small fire starting near your home as dry leaves or embers ignite some landscaping. But the flames never spread to the house itself. There are no sprinklers turning on and no hoses in sight. Instead, the fire goes out because of something you can’t see or hear: sound waves.

That idea may sound like science fiction, but a new technology company is developing practical uses of sound to extinguish small fires before they escalate into serious threats.

How Sound Can Put Out a Fire

Fire requires three elements to continue burning: heat, fuel, and oxygen. If you remove just one of these, the fire goes out. Sound waves can interfere with a fire by creating tiny air movements that disrupt the fire's access to oxygen, thereby extinguishing the flames. Specifically, the system "shakes" the oxygen in the air faster than the fire can use it, cutting off its air supply.

Using sound to suppress fires is not a new technology. Scientists have been researching practical uses for sound fire suppression for years. The U.S. military research agency DARPA investigated this concept more than a decade ago, and universities have since developed experimental sound-based fire extinguishers. Fire experts agree the science is solid. The real challenge has been making the technology powerful enough to work in real-world settings without producing dangerously loud or damaging noise. Early experiments used high-pitched sounds that could be loud, damaging, and disruptive; however, advancements have since removed any potential harm to humans, pets, and personal property.

Start-up is Bringing The Technology to Homeowners

Geoff Bruder, a former aerospace engineer at NASA, has co-founded Sonic Fire Tech, a company that is turning the idea of sound fire suppression into a practical system. Sonic Fire Tech utilizes infrasound, which is sound at extremely low frequencies—below the range of human hearing. Infrasound is inaudible to people and can travel farther, making it a more effective means of protecting buildings. Recent tests have shown that infrasound can put out fires from as far as 25 feet away. Much farther than the 5–10 feet of earlier testing.

How It Works on a Home

Homes often catch fire when burning embers land in nearby plants or slip into attic vents. Sonic’s system is designed to stop these small flames quickly. It utilizes an electric motor and a piston to generate infrasound, which is directed through metal ducts installed along the roof and beneath the eaves.

Sensors in the unit detect the presence of a flame and automatically activate the system. The result is an invisible “sound shield” that extinguishes the fire and helps prevent new flames from igniting.

Ecological and Financial Benefits

According to the Insurance Institute, windblown embers account for 90% of home losses in wildfires. Infrasound stops ignition at the source and eliminates soil erosion from using water while protecting water sources from chemical runoff contamination. It also operates on battery power, so even during an outage, the technology continues to protect the home.

There are Limits

This technology isn’t meant to stop large, fast-moving fires. Experts say sound waves are effective only on small flames. Still, stopping those small ignitions early can make a significant difference—especially in wildfire-prone areas or in homes where another house has caught fire and is showering another home with embers.

Utilities and homeowners in wildfire-prone areas are showing interest. Sonic Fire Tech is currently working with two California utility companies and has already signed up homeowners for pilot installations. The company hopes to have about 50 test systems installed by early 2026.

If successful, sound-based fire suppression could become a new layer of protection, quietly helping to defend homes.

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Sources: Scientific America, TechSpot