A hydrocarbon-containing gas is mixed with an oxygen-containing gas in a gas mixer in the presence of a water mist. The water mist surrounds and contacts entrained particles in either the oxygen-containing gas stream or the hydrocarbon-containing gas stream. The water acts to suppress and prevent ignition of the hydrocarbon gas in the mixer by serving as a sink for heat created by energetic collisions between such particles and structures within the gas mixer. The water mist also acts to quench ignition caused by such collisions. The water mist can be introduced into the gas mixer in a number of different configurations, including via nozzles injecting a mist into a hydrocarbon gas manifold or an oxygen gas manifold, nozzles placed within the gas mixer adjacent to ends of the oxygen supply pipes, and nozzles placed coaxially within the oxygen supply pipes in the gas mixer.