How to Prevent and Put Out a Grease Fire At Home

5/13/2021 (Permalink)

Spring and summer in Wisconsin are notoriously outdoor grilling season, but there are still plenty of meals made inside your kitchen. And unfortunately, most home accidents happen in the kitchen. Of all those kitchen mishaps, grease fires are among the most damaging. Here’s what you can do to prevent a grease fire in your kitchen, and how you can put one out safely:

To Prevent a Grease Fire at Home

1. Equip your kitchen with a Class B of K fire extinguisher. In fact, you should have three  of these fire extinguishers in your home—one each in the kitchen, garage, and main living area. 
2. Keep anything that could start on fire away from the stove or cooking area—cookbooks, towels, paper towels, etc. These type of items can instantly fuel a grease fire. 
3. Keep your eye on a hot pan that’s cooking; leaving it unattended can be a recipe for disaster (pun intended).  
4. Heat oil gradually and add food slowly to minimize grease splatter. Since oil and water don’t mix, remove as much moisture as possible from food before submerging it in grease.
5. Smoking grease is dangerously hot grease, as the flash point of a grease fire is 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Before it ignites, grease will smoke wildly—if grease starts smoking, turn the heat down immediately.

How To Put Out a Grease Fire

1. If your pan does catch fire, smother it with an oven mitt and place the lid on top of the pan. Never throw water on the fire, or run it to the sink or outside.
2. Turn off the heat source. 
3. If the fire is small and manageable, smother it with baking soda or salt.
4. If necessary, spray the fire with a Class B or K fire extinguisher that’s suited for oil fires.
5. Do not try to extinguish the fire with any cooking powders (flours, baking powder, etc.) or water.
6. Do not try to move the burning pot or pan outside. 

If you incur damage after a grease fire in your kitchen, rely on our SERVPRO team of cleaning and fire restoration pros. Call us 24/7 at (414) 421-3500.