Polk Township Vol. Fire Dept.
Kitchen Fire Safety
It's that wonderful time of year again when the kitchen comes alive. You smell the aroma of a plump Thanksgiving turkey basting to a crisp golden brown. Festive Christmas cookies lie on their sheets, waiting to be decorated. It's a culinary delight; a snacker's paradise.
With all the other holiday activities going on around you, it's very easy to forget that you placed that pan on the stove. It's a very common mistake. You put something on the stove to cook. Then something happens. You forget about it until the fire starts and the smoke alarm goes off. If you're still home, you have time to react. But if you've left with the pan on the stove, you may not find out about it until your neighbors notice your house on fire!
Dry Cooking Fires
The most comon type of cooking fire is the dry cooking fire. The water or moisture boils out of the pan and the food left in the pan scorches, producing smoke. This usually doesn't cause a great deal of damage. The heat may sometimes damage the surrounding area. The smoke may leave a residue and an odor. Hopefully a little cleaning up is all it takes.
Grease Fires
The grease fire occurs when oil or grease type foods are heated and ignite. Deep frying oil is a good example. A grease fire can do significant damage. Open flames can extend to surrounding cabinets or other combustible items. If unnoticed, a grease fire can become a major house fire, engulfing the entire kitchen, adjacent rooms or even the attic. This becomes a dnagerous life-threating fire.
Oven Fires
Most of the time an oven fire is not serious. The fire is usually contained in the oven, which is designed for high heat anyway. The oven fire usually suffocate or are easily extinguished.
What to do in a Kitchen Fire
In all cases, make sure everyone evacuates the house. Call the fire department. If the fire is still small, you can use a fire extinguisher to try and put it out. But if the fire gets out of control, get out of the house. Wait for the fire department to arrive.You might be able to extinguish grease fires on the stove in several different ways. The simplest way is to place a lid on the pan and the fire should suffocate. A large amount of baking soda can also be used to extinguish a grease fire. Once you have the fire extinguished, don't forget to turn off the burner. But if the flames are to high, don't risk getting burnt. Get out and call the fire department.
NEVER, NEVER put water on a grease fire! Water will splatter the grease and dramatically increase the size of the fire. You will easily get burned! NEVER try to carry a flaming grease fire outside. It will quickly be too hot to carry and you will certainly spread the fire over the entire area.
So please take the time during this holiday season to follow this recipe for cooking safety. Otherwise you may unexpectedly turn that dish and your home into a flambe!
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John D. Einhorn