In 1871, Samuel B. Johnson received the first patent for a fire grenade, titled “Device for Extinguishing Fire” (Patent No. 0117891). Johnson writes in his patent appeal that “This invention relates to a mode of extinguishing fire; and consists of a suitable casing or receptacle, which may be termed a grenade, for a gas, acid, or other medium, which will extinguish fire, which casing or receptacle is to be thrown by hand or discharged as a projectile against or into the fire, so as to break, and thereby liberate the contents of the casing in order to act on the fire for the purpose stated.” The grenade had a simple design: “a casing or vessel, which may be of a globular, cylindrical, or other form, and constructed of metal, glass or other material suitable for the purpose intended.” It would be filled “by compression with carbonic acid, chlorine gas, or any other gas or acid, or combination thereof, or any solid or liquid material, which, when united or mixed with water or otherwise, will produce a gas or acid to be capable of extinguishing fire.” It was designed to be thrown into the base of a fire or shatter automatically when the surrounding air grew too hot. Upon impact, the glass would shatter, and the liquid inside would smother the flames.

Some of the most popular brands of fire grenades included Red Comet, marketed as “the Original Automatic Fire Extinguisher,” Shur-Stop, and Harden Star, which were known for ornate embossments and designs. Many grenades were designed as mantle ornaments and resembled cut crystal. Fire grenades declined in popularity around 1910 as soda/acid extinguishers began to replace them.