Kitchen fires are the #1 cause of house fires and injuries to homeowners, so avoiding them is a important goal for each household. Taking common-sense precautions can greatly reduce the chance of igniting a cooking fire during meal preparation, and understanding how to avoid these fires is easy and smart. Listed below are a few suggestions from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
1. Cooking oil, a main ingredient for frying and sautéing, is also a prime cause of sudden stove-top fires. Intelligent cooks heat oils slowly to the desired temperature, then add food gently to reduce the chance of splatter and flare-up. Having an appropriately sized lid beside to your pan gives you a means to expediently cover the pan and snuff out sudden flames.
2. Great chefs always stay in the kitchen; unattended cooking is a dangerous gamble. Staying in the kitchen, specifically when frying, grilling, broiling or boiling, is a smart and obvious method to avoid an out-of-control fire.
3. Roasting, simmering and baking foods takes added time. While the chances of a fire may seem less, the main culprit is not remembering to check on your meal. Set a timer to remind you to check back every so often, and make sure that any wooden utensils, oven mitts, paper products, dish towels and curtains are moved far away from heat sources.
4. Early morning and late evening cooking coincides with the time you may be more tired. Staying alert is staying safe, so make sure you’re not too sleepy or distracted by other tasks. Consuming alcohol might be enjoyable when prepping meals, but it is also a risk that can be minimized if not completely avoided.
5. Fight or flight. There is no concrete answer concerning whether it is better to fight a kitchen fire or immediately leave the room, close the door behind you and call for help. If you’re really not sure, take the safest route and call 911 as soon as you and all others can exit the kitchen.
NFPA studies report that 55 percent of the people who were injured in reported nonfatal home cooking fires during 2005-2009 were injured when they tried to fight the fire themselves. One of every four house fires reported in 2007-2011 started with fat or grease, and one of every three fire injuries resulted from these fires.