The kitchen stove is a common cause of fire in the home. The usual culprit of a stove top fire is grease which can be very dangerous and can spread quickly. It is important to know how to react when a grease fire happens.Here are some tips for putting out a stove top fire, should it happen to you:
If the fire starts from grease in a pan, put a metal lid on top of the pan to smother the flames. Turn off the burner but don’t move the pan. Leave the lid on until the fire is completely extinguished.
If you have it handy, you can use baking soda or white flour to put out the fire. Once the fire is extinguished, keep the doors and windows open for the Indoor Air Quality to improve. Never use water on a grease fire. That will make it worse.
An ABC, dry chemical fire extinguisher can also be used effectively on grease fires. It is important to keep a small multipurpose extinguisher in an easily accessible area of your kitchen. Be sure to learn how to use the extinguisher during installation, so that you’ll be able to use it quickly in an emergency.
Never try to carry the fire outside. Moving the pan may cause the grease to splash, spread the fire, and cause burns. Placing a live fire on the ground can cause more problems than it will solve. Put out the fire in its original location.
In case of an oven fire, turn off the oven and leave the door closed. After the fire is out, let the oven cool completely. Opening the oven can spread smoke and possibly cause overexposure to smoke or spreading of the fire.
If the fire becomes more than you can handle, leave and call 911 from a neighbor’s house. Never underestimate the power of a fire. Flames and smoke can spread very quickly.