In 1949 an engineer named Robert Peterson reinvented fire.
Bob Peterson had recently relocated to the San Gabriel Valley of Southern California. Enjoying dinner at a favorite Pasadena restaurant one evening, he observed the owner and his staff devoting too much time working to keep the fire burning in the restaurant’s large fireplace, a focal point of the dining room.
Peterson was a natural inventor. You might say observing the restaurant owner’s all-too familiar struggle sparked an idea in Peterson’s head. He was quickly back at his workshop, intensely focused on solving the age-old problem of keeping a fire going without having to work hard at it. It wasn’t long before he had engineered a solution that would eventually become today’s gas burning fireplace.
Peterson took a prototype back to the Pasadena restaurant to demonstrate his new brainchild for the owner. The man was sold. Peterson’s gas fire logs were soon showing up in restaurants and lounges all around Southern California.
Peterson began producing gas log fireplace products in a small shop in Eagle Rock, California. One of his first employees, Vince Jankowski, was a skilled wood worker who knew just how to create a variety of exceptionally realistic looking range of log designs. Vince immediately began to make improvements in the manufacturing and visual appeal of the products. Striving for realism in the look of the logs, Vince innovated the concept of individually crafted logs, as opposed to a log stack cast as a single unit. He looked to nature for his inspiration, collecting wood logs of many varieties, shapes and sizes. He developed the Golden Oak gas log set, which quickly became the standard of the industry, and remains a best seller for the R.H. Peterson Company to this day. Soon, the creations of Bob Peterson and Vince Jankowski were being sold under the name Real Fyre Gas Logs.
In all the years since the founders of what is today Real Fyre created the first realistic looking gas log sets, our commitment to manufacture the most beautiful, best made gas fire products has never waivered. You can see it in every product we make. And you can enjoy that unmatched beauty and comfort with family and friends in your home for years and years.
Our Purpose
Nothing compares to the experience of sharing the warmth of a fire. What can be more central to human connection and happiness than sharing a fire together? Real Fyre is dedicated to making that experience uncommonly beautiful, convenient, and pleasurable. That’s why 65 years ago we pioneered natural looking gas fireplace products. And why today we still pride ourselves on providing the most beautiful hearth experiences you can have.
Integrity and quality are the cornerstones of everything we do and everything we make. What we build, we build for people who value quality and integrity as highly as we do. That’s why no one in the industry puts more artistry or engineering into the process of creating your gas fireplace products. That same unmatched attention to detail and performance is also evident in our business relationships and our customer service.
RH Peterson Family of Brands
For generations, the RH Peterson Company has been enhancing the beauty and comfort of homes around the world by providing the finest barbecues, fireplaces and outdoor products you can buy. Our reputation for superior quality in everything we make is hard-earned and widely recognized throughout our industry.
