Flammable liquids like oil, fat and grease can fuel cooking fires. If not extinguished quickly, these fires can spread quickly from your stove or deep fryer to the rest of your kitchen. If a grease fire breaks out, it’s important to know exactly how to avoid property damage and injuries.
How Does Grease Catch Fire?
Several factors can cause grease or oil to catch fire. A cooking fire can ignite when:
- You heat grease or oil beyond the smoke point.
- You accidentally spill oil or grease near a heat source, inside an oven or on a stovetop.
- You place grease or oil near open flames or hot surfaces.
How to Handle Grease Fires
It’s vital to respond quickly and effectively when a grease fire breaks out. Assess the situation and call for help. If the fire has started to spread and is out of control, evacuate the kitchen immediately. For small and medium-sized grease fires, you can follow these steps while you wait for help.
1. Turn the Stove Off
Do not attempt to move the pot or pan from the stove. Instead, simply switch off your oven, boiler or burner to remove the heat source.
2. Cover the Pot or Pan With a Metal Lid
Cover your pot or pan with a metal lid or baking sheet to cut off the fire’s oxygen supply. Opt for metal lids, as ceramic or glass lids can easily shatter when exposed to extreme heat. Do not use oven mittens to place the lid on the flaming pot, as fabric mittens can easily catch fire. Use metal tongs instead.
3. Douse the Flames
Your first reaction might be to drench the flames in water, but water can cause a grease fire to spread. You can safely put out a small cooking fire with some baking ingredients. Stifle flames with large quantities of baking soda or salt. Be careful not to use flour or baking powder to extinguish grease fires, as these items are highly combustible and will worsen the situation.
4. Spray the Fire With a Class K Fire Extinguisher
If you can’t extinguish a fire with salt or baking soda, use a Class K fire extinguisher designed for cooking fires. If you don’t have one, you can also use a Class B fire extinguisher.
How to Prevent Grease Fires
Follow these safety tips to prevent a grease fire in your home:
- Heat oil and grease slowly.z
- Turn off the stove or oven if the grease gets too hot.
- Carefully place food in hot grease to avoid grease splatter.
- Keep a metal lid near the stove in case a fire breaks out.
- Do not leave the kitchen when you’re heating oil or grease.
Have You Suffered Property Damage From a Grease Fire?
If you’ve incurred any property damage due to fire, soot or smoke, rely on Rhode Island Restoration for fast and quality fire damage restoration. Our team is licensed and certified to handle any restoration project, and we’re available 24/7 to repair property damage. Contact our reliable team to get started.
