Meet Riverside twins whose wildfire-inspired hydrogel kept hot material from reigniting 9x longer than water

Henry and Jack GroverRiversideunified.org When Henry and Jack Grover nearly lost their Riverside, California, home to a wildfire, the experience changed the way they thought about fire safety. The identical twins wanted to understand why areas that appear extinguished can still contain hot, smouldering material capable of reigniting days later. Their answer was a sprayable hydrogel designed to hold water against hot surfaces for longer than water alone. According to the Society for Science, the twins’ hydrogel-treated charcoal took 27 minutes to reignite, compared with just three minutes for charcoal sprayed with water. The Riverside Unified School District says their project earned them a place among the 2026 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge’s Top 30 finalists. Read on to know more about their innovation here:A wildfire close to homeFor Henry and Jack, the project began with a frightening personal experience. The twins nearly lost their home during a wildfire, giving them a direct understanding of how quickly flames can threaten families, neighbourhoods and natural habitats. Their concern deepened when they learned that a wildfire can sometimes be connected to ...