Safeguarding neighborhoods against wildfires is a collective responsibility, and effective wildfire defense should be accessible to all homeowners, not a luxury reserved for a few.
That is the foundational philosophy behind Matador Fire, a company established by Los Angeles native Nate Snyder.
For Snyder, Matador Fire addresses a general uneasiness Angelenos share, associated with the profound loss caused by the January 2025 wildfires that swept across LA.
On the night of January 7, it was not the videos of burning houses that compelled Snyder to act; it was the sense of helplessness he experienced alongside close friends who sought refuge in his home after following mandatory evacuation orders.
“We stood by, powerless, watching Los Angeles burn,” Snyder recalled. “Despite our community’s escalating fire risk, Southern California homeowners appeared caught off guard when the fires started. As a community, we remain dangerously unprepared for the threat of wildfires.”
Five months later, Snyder sold his pool business and committed his time to helping his community prepare for the next wildfire. He has since collaborated with veteran firefighters, state legislators and homeowners to engineer a new wildfire defense layer founded upon safety, efficacy and affordability.
HOW IT WORKS
Matador Fire places professional-grade fire retardant directly into the hands of homeowners.
While some retardants can be toxic, prone to staining or require hydration to maintain effectiveness, Matador Fire’s retardant is essentially non-toxic according to EPA standards, environmentally safe according to third-party labs, and shown to work wet or dry in fire-tested conditions.
Matador Fire’s wildfire suppression system features an independent gas or electric pump connected to a 100-foot fire hose, capable of propelling 50 gallons of non-toxic retardant over 35 feet high in calm conditions.
Should a wildfire threat emerge, your personal defense unit is operational within minutes. Through a streamlined protocol taking less than 15 minutes, homeowners can thoroughly coat their property’s vulnerable surfaces with a protective “fire shield.”
Residents are then encouraged to safely evacuate, leaving the area clear for emergency personnel.
“Nate and his staff have earned my confidence… I actually have a lot more peace of mind when I go to sleep at night.” a longtime Malibu resident and Woolsey Fire survivor noted.
COMMUNITY PROTECTION
Embers completely ignore property lines.
Extensive research indicates that structural defense proves considerably more successful when neighborhoods coordinate their preparation. When an entire street collaborates to fortify their properties against wildfire, the collective probability of survival increases dramatically.
Matador Fire’s new way of reducing ignition risk at a community-wide level, buys more time for responders to arrive on-scene and saves public water and power for the fire fighters.
Matador Fire offers several affordable preventative defense layers that homeowners can easily implement:
- Managed Fire Defense System: Their flagship, “mini fire stations” are placed in discrete, strategic locations around your property and are deployable 24/7 prior to an evacuation order.
- Seasonal Retardant Application: Administered to landscaping prior to fire season by trained technicians, this passive fire defense treatment can remain active throughout the highest-risk months.
- Home Hardening: Installation of CAL Fire-approved mesh over exterior ventilation openings effectively seals the primary pathways embers enter. This enhancement reduces the probability of a structure igniting from the inside.
“The January 2025 fires taught us that our community’s resilience against wildfires is not a burden anyone can face alone,” Snyder said. “Effective defense requires homeowners to become “force multipliers” while leaving the dangerous parts to the well-trained and heroic firefighters.”
To schedule a comprehensive property assessment, visit matadorfire.com.
