fire screen Directory References Discover 9 U.S. Presidents with the Most Vetoes How Deadly Is Quicksand? 10 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time Who Invented the Internet? 6 Lakes That Are Drying Up How Can Some Trees Survive for Thousands of Years? 7 of the World’s Deadliest Shipwrecks Contents Ask the Chatbot a Question fire screen engineering Ask the Chatbot a Question Learn about this topic in these articles:use in fireplace In fireplaceThe fire screen was developed early in the 19th century to prevent sparks from flying into the room, and it also has been ornamented and shaped to serve decorative as well as functional purposes.Read More Britannica ChatbotChatbot answers are created from Britannica articles using AI. This is a beta feature. AI answers may contain errors. Please verify important information using Britannica articles. About Britannica AI.