APACHE JUNCTION, Ariz.- There's a billboard along I-10 near downtown that begs to be investigated.
It shows a woman holding something in her hand, surrounded by fire, and the words: XM42.com.
It's an ad for a homegrown, commercially-available flamethrower.
The XM42 is the invention of Apache Junction-based Ion Productions Team. It's assembled by hand in a warehouse and projects flames up to 30 feet.
According to the company, it's fully legal in 48 states. California restricts flamethrower distances to 10 feet, but the company says it has a version that is legal in California. Maryland bans flamethrowers altogether.
What do you use a flamethrower for?
Ion Productions says half of their customers use it for fun, the other half have a more practical purpose.
According to a company spokesman, customers use their flamethrowers for everything from burning agricultural fields to removing ice from frozen driveways. The company says it's been contacted by wildland firefighters to develop a longer-burning version to aid in backburns.
Currently, wildland firefighters mostly use drip torches, which light small amounts of fuel on fire as it drops to the ground at the firefighter's feet.
Using the XM42, the company says firefighters could safely start backburns at a distance.
The XM42 sells for around $1000.