Whether you do a lot of cooking at home or work in a restaurant, you should know how to stop a grease fire.
Whether you do a lot of cooking at home or work in a restaurant, you should know how to stop a grease fire. These fires happen most often in the kitchen, but they can happen almost anywhere you are working with cooking grease. Don’t leave the stove alone while it’s on, and if you do that, you can help prevent the next grease fire in your home or business.
What You Should Do
Whenever a grease fire starts, the important part is not to panic. Use some oven mitts to cover the skin of your forearms, so they aren’t splashed by hot oil or flames. Then be sure to turn off the heat on the stove. When you cut off its heat source, you can start depriving the grease fire of one of its critical elements. If it’s close by, use a cookie sheet to cover the pot, or the metal lid for a pot, since the fire will ruin a glass lid.
You can also use baking soda or salt to put out a small grease fire, but ultimately you should wait it out and let it go out. If none of these measures work, you’ll have to get more forceful. Using a Class B fire extinguisher should do the trick, but if even that doesn’t help, then you should clear the room.
What You Shouldn’t
However, there are some things you shouldn’t do when trying to put out a grease fire. For instance, moving the pot or pan isn’t a good idea – mainly because you’ll risk hurting yourself or causing the fire to spread. Water might seem like a solid strategy for putting out a cooking fire, but since water and oil don’t mix, you’ll only be making the situation worse. Likewise, using an apron or dishrag to try to stop the fire will only cause it to spread as well.
Prevention is Best
The best way to avoid fire damage to your home and any harm to you or your family members is to prevent a grease fire from happening in the first place. Here are some ways to do that:
- Don’t leave the kitchen while cooking.
- Make sure you clean the stovetop and your oven and pay attention to grease pans.
- Don’t store cookbooks and paper towels near any heating elements.
- Make sure a fire extinguisher is within easy reach and is fully charged.
Commercial and Residential Fire Prevention from Judd Fire Protection
If you want to ensure your home and business are safe throughout the year, trust Judd Fire Protection, LLC. We have over two decades of experience in designing, installing, inspecting, and repairing residential and commercial fire protection systems. We serve clients throughout Maryland, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., Virginia, and West Virginia. If you are interested in finding out more about our services and protecting your home and business, give us a call at 410-871-3480 or contact us online. For more fire safety tips, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.