Wildfires cause billions of dollars in property damage and loss of life in the United Stares, Europe and worldwide. Many people all over the world are building their homes in woodland settings and rural areas to enjoy the beauty of Nature. Unfortunately, these areas are also wildfire-prone. Often, these fires are caused by nature but are also man-made. At times, wildfires may destroy many homes and cause loss of life to people (including firefighters) and animals.

Firefighters fight these wildfires with large amounts of water and/or chemicals to douse the flames.

Large airplanes and/or helicopters, along with firefighters on the ground are used to control the flames by removing heat and/or oxygen. Often, the airplanes have to fly many miles to gather or refill with water and chemicals. This loses precious time while the fires continue to progress and expand creating more destruction.

A more sustainable solution is to utilize existing proven military technologies to fight these fires more effectively by modernizing outdated technologies such as cluster bombs (*see illustration). Cluster bombs are not permitted to be usted in warfare because of their generalized destructive potential. However, modified they can in turn be used for the good of mankind instead of wars and destruction. They can be easily modified by exchanging live munitions with bomblets filled with liquified nitrogen. They can be utilized safely and effectively to douse the wildfires by removing the oxygen and heat from the fire triangle. The cluster bombs can be detonated in the air while the bomblets can be designed to explode or detonate mechanically on the ground (*see video). A single cluster bomb can perhaps smother flames the size of many football fields. One can easily visualize airplanes and helicopters modified or retrofitted with mounts to handle the many cluster bombs attached to their wings and/or dropped by helicopters and exploded, at will and remotely while coordinating with ground firefighter crews ensuring the safety of all. The nitrogen is nonpolluting, can dissipate quickly and is heavier than air causing it to settle close to the ground. The costs and safety of modifying the technology would outweigh the billions of dollars lost in damages to property and loss of life.