Streets in Southern California were painted red this week as planes continue to fly overhead dropping red clouds over burned areas. But why is it red?

By now, you have surely seen many images of planes dropping a red liquid on the Los Angeles fires. It's not just water. A chemical within the liquid suppresses burning by a series of simple reactions.

Chek, a red fire retardant that prevents fire spread by creating a protective barrier on plants, are being used by firefighting planes to combat catastrophic wildfires in Los Angeles. Despite its effectiveness,