Samsung's new flower vase can be used to extinguish fires

South Korean tech giant Samsung has found an innovative — and beautiful — way to help people fight fires.

Developed by the company's subsidiary Cheil Worldwide, the Firevase is exactly what its name suggests — a flower vase that can be thrown at fires to extinguish them.

Made of translucent red glass, the vase resembles a thick bottle that is separated into two chambers: the sealed outer chamber is filled with potassium carbonate, while the inner chamber can hold flowers.

When smashed in a fire, the vase releases the potassium carbonate, which, in turn, limits oxygen and puts out the flames.

Cheil created the product for Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance as part of the latter's campaign to encourage South Korean households to have a fire extinguisher readily available.

Korea's National Fire Agency reports more than 10,000 residential fires annually, Popular Mechanic notes. Just 42 percent of South Korean homes carry a fire extinguisher, despite the fact that the country passed a law requiring every household to have one by 2017.

To increase awareness, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance distributed over 100,000 Firevases towards the end of last year, according to Dezeen. The company claims 81 percent of respondents were more mindful of having an extinguisher following the campaign, which reached 32 million people across social media platforms in just four months.

By comparison, approximately 364,000 residential building fires occurred in the United States in 2016, the most recent year for which data from the U.S. Fire Administration was available. There is no law that requires homes to have a fire extinguisher, although it is encouraged.