Table of Contents
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 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.
How do you stop a grease fire?
Do not use water Turn off the source of heat. Try to remove oxygen from the flame by covering with another pot or a baking pan. If you can’t cover it, smother the fire with a generous amount of baking soda or salt until it’s extinguished. If the fire is too big for smother, baking soda, or salt, use a fire extinguisher.
What happens when you pour water on a grease fire?
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.
Why does water make a grease fire worse?
Why? Yes, because adding water to burning oil vaporizes the water, causing volume expansion of the water molecules inside hot oil, thus spreading the oil further. Widely used in cooking, these oils come into regular contact with heat and fire.
Can vinegar put out a grease fire?
Do not use vinegar to put out a grease fire. Stick with dry ingredients like baking soda or salt, which deprive the fire of oxygen.
Can you use milk on a grease fire?
DO NOT douse the grease fire with water, or milk, etc… If you do, it will explode into a fireball. Pouring water can cause the oil to splash and spread the fire. Only baking soda can help put out a grease fire.
How common are grease fires?
Statistics reveal that nearly 5,000,000 cooking fires occur annually in the home. Of these fires, grease fires are the most dangerous and are responsible for 1 in every 5 home fire deaths.
How long does it take for a grease fire to start?
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 salt put out a grease fire?
If there’s no lid nearby, douse the fire with plenty of salt or baking soda. Salt will smother the fire almost as well as covering it with a lid, while baking soda chemically extinguishes it. Avoid using flour or baking powder, which can explode in the flames instead of snuffing them out.
What do you put on kitchen grease fire?
If a grease fire starts: 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. Do not attempt to move the pot or pan outside.
What to use to put out a fire?
Smother the flames with baking soda. Avoid flour or sugar, which can lead to a dynamite-like explosion. Reach for a dry chemical fire extinguisher (a class K extinguisher will also work, but these are usually found in commercial kitchens).
How do you put out a fire pit?
Extinguishing your outdoor fire pit Once you extinguish your fire with water, gently stir and spread the ashes to cool. Leave only when they’re cool to the touch. Keep a fire extinguisher, garden hose or bucket of sand close to douse the fire in case it gets out of hand. If you can’t put it out quickly, call 9-1-1.
Why is pouring baking soda on a grease fire good?
Baking soda is effective because it releases carbon dioxide when heated, which can smother the fire. Salt forms a barrier between the fire and the air. This prevents the fire from getting the oxygen it needs.
Should you pour water on fire?
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.
Should you throw water on fire?
Do not throw or dump the water. This can cause a sudden swell in smoke which can be dangerous. Keep pouring the water until the hissing sound of the embers dies out entirely. An alternative method can be pouring sand or dry dirt onto the flames.
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.
Is baking soda flammable?
Luckily, the answer is no. Baking soda is not a flammable substance and is in fact sometimes used to put out fires due to its carbon dioxide producing properties. We will also look at the properties of baking powder, why it is flammable, and how best you can store and use it safely.
Does baking soda put out electrical fires?
Most people associate baking soda with cleaning, but it’s also an ingredient for putting out fires. Make sure you know where it is within your kitchen, as finding it and pouring it on an electrical fire quickly can help douse the flames. In fact, many fire extinguishers contain certain ingredients found in baking soda.
What are three things you should never put on a grease fire?
Do not throw flour, biscuit mix, or baking powder onto the flames, as all these substances are combustible; only salt and baking soda are safe for extinguishing a fire. Do not throw salt or baking soda onto the flames from the side, which could cause the fire to leap out the back of the pan and catch elsewhere.
How do you extinguish electrical fires at home?
Smother a small fire with baking soda. This will block the oxygen that the fire needs to keep burning while not creating an electrocution hazard like water would. Do not use flammable items to smother an electrical fire, such as a blanket.
How do you stop a grease fire in a grill?
Extinguishing a Grease Fire on Your Propane Grill Turn off the grill’s burners. Remove the food and smother the flames by throwing baking soda, sand or kosher salt over it. NEVER use water to extinguish a grease fire or flare up. Close the lid and any grill vents to further starve the fire of oxygen.
