How To Safely Put Out A Grease Fire

4/28/2021 (Permalink)

While it's true that a fire can start anywhere in your home, the kitchen is one of the most common places. There are a lot of hazards in this room, so you need to be cautious when you're cooking on the stove or using the oven. A grease fire is one of the most concerning types of fires you could encounter at home. Extinguishing these fires is not the same as most kinds.

What Causes Grease Fires?

If you're like many people in Hopkinton, MA, you probably use your fair share of cooking oil on the stove. Whether it's frying up bacon or sausage for breakfast or grilling up something else delicious on the stove or griddle, you may frequently contend with grease. The common reasons a grease fire may start include:

• Putting too much oil in the pan
• Leaving the room while something is frying or grilling on the stove
• Leaving panhandles away from the stove where other people can bump into them
  
  

Smother It Quickly

If a grease fire starts in the kitchen, don't panic. Your first job is to smother the flames and remove the fire's oxygen source. You can do this by grabbing a metal lid and covering the pan or burner.

Remove The Heat

You need to next kill the heat source. Turn off the stove or unplug the electric griddle.

Try Some Baking Soda

If the fire is still going, dump a liberal amount of baking soda on the flames. This should do enough to smother the flames and control the fire. It may require some fire cleanup, but you can control the damage.

What NOT To Do

Your first reaction to putting out a fire may be to dump water on the source. With grease, this won't work; it will only spread the flames. Never put water on these types of fires.

By following these pointers, you can stay away from these disasters. 

We Are Here For You

The Disaster Remediation Teams at SERVPRO of Framingham have specialized training and experience in fire restoration services. Call SERVPRO of Framingham at (508) 370-4400 if fire damage strikes your property. We will make it "Like it never even happened."