What Causes A Grease Fire

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 prevent a grease fire?

How to Prevent Grease Fires Never leave your pot or pan unattended. Pay attention around fire. Remove as much moisture as possible from food before cooking. Keep grease at the recommended temperature. Heat oil slowly. Add food slowly and gently to hot oil to avoid splatter.

What foods cause grease fire?

What Causes 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.

What worsens a grease fire?

Flour and sugar make grease fires worse! Only baking soda and salt will work. NEVER attempt to smother the fire with flammable materials. An apron, dishtowel, or other flammable fabrics will NOT smother the fire, but may fan or spread it.

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.

What causes oil fire on stove?

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. The oil won’t immediately catch fire once it starts smoking, but smoke is a danger sign that it’s well on its way to getting there.

What can I throw on 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.

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.

Can you use sugar to put out a grease fire?

The following ingredients should NEVER be used to put out a grease fire: Sugar – has a natural flammability, which will cause the fire to spread. Wet towel – due to the water contained in the towel, it will cause the fire to flare up and is able to spread the hot oil around the room.

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.

Why is pouring water on a grease fire bad?

3. 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.

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.

What 3 things cause fires?

Oxygen, heat, and fuel are frequently referred to as the “fire triangle.” Add in the fourth element, the chemical reaction, and you actually have a fire “tetrahedron.” The important thing to remember is: take any of these four things away, and you will not have a fire or the fire will be extinguished.

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 grease in an oven catch fire?

If you are cooking something with a lot of fat and grease, it can splatter and cause a flame. If you are baking, the batter could overflow, drip to the bottom and start a small fire. Some people have even reported their ovens catching fire when they had the self-cleaning feature on.

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.

Can a grease fire start on an electric stove?

Home grease fires are more likely on electric stoves. However, the majority of cooking fires are actual food ignitions on the cook top, with most of these being the ignition of cooking oil. As well, many of these fires occur from the oil being overheated before any food was ever added to it.