Grease fires happen when cooking oil or grease gets too hot. These fires are incredibly dangerous because their fuel source is a liquid that can pop and spill onto you and surrounding surfaces extremely quickly and become out of control in as little as 30 seconds.
The most important thing you could do to prevent a fire in the kitchen is patience. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) says that unattended cooking is the primary source of home cooking fires. Remain by the cooktop the entire time you are cooking in order to always be prepared for the unexpected. Slowly heat oil to the desired temperature and turn off the burner is you suspect it is getting too hot.
If a fire does unfortunately break out, follow the steps below to safely extinguish it. If you are unsuccessful in putting out the fire yourself, leave the house. Staying to attempt to extinguish a fire after the other occupants are out isn’t something you should strive for except if you are the fire department.
Steps To Put Out A Grease Fire
• Don’t use water on grease fire. Water will only make this kind of fire worse, causing it to boil and spread everywhere.
• Call 911. There’s no motivation to pause and the fire department can generally return to their station should you be able to get the fire out without their assistance.
• Cover with the pan lid. The most effortless approach to extinguish a grease fire is to cover it using a pan lid. Be cautious with glass lids; they can crack from the extraordinary warmth of an open fire.
• Use Baking soda. Grease fires can be covered with baking soda; however, it takes a lot of baking soda to work.
• Dry fire extinguisher. A dry substance fire extinguisher can also work, yet it will damage your kitchen and food. Class K fire extinguishers are accessible to put out grease and other kitchen fires; however, they’re typically just found in the commercial kitchens.
Common Kitchen Ingredients For Putting Out A Grease Fire
If grease catches fire in your kitchen, first attempt to eliminate the heat source by cutting gas or power to your oven or appliance. Next, try to cover the fire by expelling oxygen, covering the pot or pan with a non-flammable baking pan or metal lid. There are also common cooking ingredients you could use in your attempts as well
Baking Soda
Baking soda releases carbon dioxide, covering flames. Be that as it may, it takes quite a large amount to work. The box of baking soda in the fridge might not cut it, put something aside a larger amount for a fire.
Salt
Salt is an incredible absorber of warmth for its volume. A moderate sum – about a cup – could help in extinguishing a conventional size of the grease fire.
Tips For Preventing Grease Fire
• Stay in your kitchen while you’re boiling, frying, or grilling food. The primary source of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking.
• Be alert and don’t utilize the stove or stovetop on the off chance that you are sleepy or have consumed liquor.
• Keep things away from the stove or oven that could easily catch fire, such as towels and pot holders.
• Remove as much moisture as could reasonably be expected from the food before putting it in hot oil. Try not to put frozen food into hot grease.
• Keep the grease at the recommended temperature. In case you see any smoke or the oil smells, it means that it is excessively hot. Promptly turn off the burner to let it cool down.
• Heat the oil to temperature slowly.
• Add food to pots and pans gently to avoid splatter.
• Keep a lid close to the pan you’re cooking with, so it is available if a fire begins.
• Don’t allow children to play near the stove while cooking.
Your most suitable option for battling a kitchen fire is proper preparation. On your next shopping trip, remember to restock the shelves but also add a fire extinguisher to the shopping cart – the right one – before you suffer a greater fire.
