Sapulpa Showcase (January 2023)

January’s “Artifact of the Month” is actually two items that are similar. These are fire extinguishers, but a special kind. Another name these items are often called are “fire balls,” “fire bulbs,” and even, “fire grenades.” Essentially, these were used for small fires, often in homes or offices. Around the 1940s and 1950s, the Fire Ball, the red ball, was “designed with Christmas in mind.” The Ball came in a box that said it was safe for cars, boats, closets, and attics, too. Nonetheless, Fire Ball was often used on the Christmas tree (when people would lit real candles on the tree); it would hang on the tree like an ornament. If the tree caught fire, the Ball would self-release by melting and extinguishing the fire. On the other hand, the Fire Bulb, a glass bulb, would be hung on a bracket on the wall. If a fire broke out, one would simply grab the bulb, throw it at the base of the fire, (hence the nickname, “fire grenade”) and the glass would shatter open and extinguish the fire. This particular grenade came from the Victorian / Criterion Theatre. It is dated around the early 1900s.