Patent ID: 8316768

Claim:
A rapidly igniting, prolonged burning incendiary strand for setting fire to combustible materials over an area of land, comprising: a flexible strand body of indeterminate length, comprising a plurality of co-linearly arranged and connectively assembled components forming a contiguous cross-sectional shape selected from the group consisting of tape, strip, ribbon, tube, filament, rope and cord, and; at least one elongate pyrotechnic element, linearly arranged along the longitudinal axis of the strand body, for conducting an ignitive reaction at a predetermined rate of axial propogation along the strand, the pyrotechnic element including a deflagrative composition comprised of one or more oxidizing agents and one or more first combustible fuel compounds, and; one or more bodies of a solid or semi-solid second combustible fuel component distributed along the longitudinal axis of the strand body, in connective arrangement with said pyrotechnic element, whereby said second combustible fuel component bodies are operable when ignited to undergo self-sustained, air-oxygenated combustion, emitting flames from the exterior surface of the strand, and; strand fragmentation means for separation of the strand body into separate burning segments, subsequent to ignition, and; whereby the pyrotechnic element, upon operative ignition from an external heat source, conducts an ignitive signal rapidly along the length of the incediary strand, progressively initiating self-sustained combustion of the second combustible fuel component bodies, and thereby providing flame generation concurrently along the entirety of the strand body to kindle combustible materials proximate to the incediary strand.