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A grease fire happens when your cooking oil becomes too hot. When heating, oils first start to boil, then they’ll start smoking, and then they’ll catch on fire. Most vegetable oils have a smoking point around 450°F, while animal fats like lard or goose fat will start smoking around 375°F.
How do you stop a grease fire?
If a grease fire starts: Cover the flames with a metal lid or cookie sheet. Turn off the heat source. If it’s small and manageable, pour baking soda or salt on it to smother the fire. As a last resort, spray the fire with a Class B dry chemical fire extinguisher. Do not try to extinguish the fire with water.
Why do grease fires occur?
A grease fire occurs when the oil becomes too hot. When cooking with oil, first it will boil, then it will smoke, and then it will catch on fire. It could take less than 30 seconds for the smoking oil to catch fire, so never leave your pot or pan unattended. Keep the grease at the recommended temperature.
Can a grease fire start in the oven?
Cooking with too much grease can lead to splatters which ignite a fire when they touch the hot surface of the oven or the heating elements. Overflowing batter when baking cakes and other pastries can cause a small fire on the bottom of the oven.
How common are grease fires?
Of the 160,000 annual cooking fires, two-thirds (66 percent) started with the ignition of food or other cooking materials. Often, these fires are ignited by grease. In an effort to keep your home and community safe, please share these tips with friends and family.
Why does a grease fire explode with water?
What Happens If You Add Water to a Grease Fire? Even a small amount of water dropped into a pan or deep fryer filled with burning oil will sink to the bottom, become superheated and erupt. Water molecules are polar, and oils are nonpolar. As a result, oils are repelled by water molecules.
Can a grease fire reignite?
Smother the flames with a pot lid, if you can. We all learned in elementary school that fires need oxygen. You can smother a grease fire if it is still very small by putting a lid on the pan. If you do you’ll give the fire oxygen again and it can reignite or flare back up.
Can salt put out a grease fire?
However, note that you need large quantities of salt or baking soda to fully extinguish a grease fire. It’s sometimes easier and more effective to quickly find a lid and cover the fire instead. Though baking soda and salt are effective in putting out grease fires, other powdered ingredients can make fires worse.
Is it normal to have flames in a self cleaning oven?
Last but certainly not least, the self-cleaning feature can present a fire hazard. Even if you’ve removed all the larger food particles, you’ll likely have grease or cooking oil splatters and spills to burn off. A word of advice: If your oven does catch on fire during the clean cycle, don’t try to put it out.
What to do if a fire starts in the oven?
Oven Fire – What to do Turn off the oven and allow the fire to burn out on its own. If it does not go out on its own, leave the house and call 911. If it does go out, then open your windows. Carefully open the oven door (it will be smoky!) and remove the hot pan.
What do you do after a small kitchen fire?
How to Recover From a Home Kitchen Fire Always wear protective gear when cleaning after a fire. Keep windows open to help smoke escape and ventilate the area. Throw out contaminated food items, including any cardboard food items. Remove kitchen cabinets and drawers and clean the interior space.
How long do you have once a grease fire lights to try to extinguish it on your own *?
From the time a grease fire starts, how long do you realistically have to try to put it out on your own? Not very, Donovan says: “Once a fire lights, you have 30 seconds-to-a-minute of opportunity, probably. Oct 15, 2008.
What’s the temperature of a grease fire?
A grease fire typically occurs when cooking oil becomes too hot, starts to smoke and then ignites. Most vegetable oils will catch fire at 450 degrees F, while animal fats catch fire at about 375 degrees F, and it doesn’t take too long for them to reach these temperatures.
Will a grease fire burn out on a grill?
Consistent cleaning of the cooking surface and the inside of the grill greatly decreases the risk of a fire. Without proper cleaning, heated grease can accumulate, liquify and vaporize, which can ignite a fire. If this happens, turn off gas and leave the lid open to let grease burn off.
Can you put out a grease fire with flour?
Do NOT use flour on a grease fire. While sometimes baking soda can extinguish a small grease fire (though not if the fire is too overwhelming), flour cannot and should not be used. Due to chemical risk of contaminating your kitchen, putting out a grease fire with your fire extinguisher should be the last resort.
Does throwing water on fire make it worse?
Do NOT pour water on the fire! Since oil and water do not mix, pouring water can cause the oil to splash and spread the fire even worse. In fact, the vaporizing water can also carry grease particles in it, which can also spread the fire.
How do you stop a grease fire in a grill?
Baking soda is the most effective form of fire extinguisher; it quickly cuts off the oxygen supply to the flame. Keep a box or 2 in or near your grill station, as well as a fire extinguisher. Salt will also work in smothering a flame. DO NOT use flour, or water ever when you need to put out a grease fire.
Does a wet cloth help with smoke?
The wet cloth reduces smoke inhalation by absorbing some of the smoke particles. The purpose of using a wet cloth is to reduce smoke inhalation so that you can escape the smoky condition.
