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A firefighter applies the fire-blocking gel to a test structure.

From Correspondent Jim Hill

LAGUNA BEACH, California (CNN) -- It's a dirty little secret that could save lives and property in a fire. A water-absorbing gel, similar to the material used to make disposable diapers, shows promise as a fire retardant.

The discovery, credited to Florida firefighter John Bartlett, could be a boon to his colleagues in Southern California, where a fire season rarely passes without blazes racing through dry brushland, torching homes as they go.

As demonstrated recently in Laguna Beach, California, the gel can be sprayed onto houses or almost anything, forming a sticky barrier that resists fire, explains fire consultant Joe Lowe. ( 77 K/6 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)

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Bartlett says he got the idea when he put out a house fire and noticed that one "wet, stinky" item did not burn. ( 43 K/3 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)

Inside disposable diapers is a polymer gel that soaks up a baby's business -- and holds it.

With a few modifications, Bartlett developed a backpack full of the fire-retardant gel, a mixture he calls "Barricade."

Firefighters sprayed it on 20 homes during Florida wildfires earlier this year and the houses didn't burn.

Able to adhere better than fire-retardant foam, Barricade is being tested by firefighters in Canada and a number of states, including California, where hundreds of Laguna Beach homes burned to the ground in 1993 firestorms.

The burnt gel washes off with water and is biodegradable.

That makes the town a good proving ground for anything that might save houses during future fires, says Bill Edmonson, the Laguna Beach fire chief. ( 136 K/11 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)

"Barricade" is more expensive than the established fire-retardant foam. But, its developers say, it's more effective, safer and it biodegrades.

Said one firefighter: "If it's safe enough for a baby's bottom, it's safe enough for us."