Nearly two-thirds of all cooking fires started with fat, oil or grease that caught on fire. If not tended to immediately — and properly — these fires can quickly get out of hand. The second primary cause of cooking fires is combustible materials that are too close to the stove.
The most common cause of kitchen fires is unattended cooking. It's easy to get distracted while cooking, but a fire can start in just a matter of mere seconds. This can happen when you leave the stove or oven on and forget about it, or when you leave a pan on the stove and walk away.
A study published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission found that 75 percent of stove fires started with food ignitions, 45 percent began with cooking oil and 63 percent occurred when someone was frying.
Excessive cooking temperature: Food ignition is responsible for about two thirds of kitchen fires (according to info from the National Fire Protection Association), and setting the cooking temperature too high is a great way to set your food ablaze.
Unattended cooking was the leading contributing factor in home cooking fires, followed by combustibles too close to a heat source, and equipment being unintentionally turned on or not turned off.
Where are home fires most likely to start? Home fires are more likely to start in the kitchen than any other room in the home. The second leading cause of home fires are heating sources like wood stoves, and fireplaces.
Grease is one of the most dangerous fire hazards in kitchens because of how quickly it can build up from a day's use and how flammable it is if a fire were to break out.
Stay in the kitchen while you're frying, grilling, boiling or broiling food. If you have to leave the room—even for just a moment—turn off the stove. Keep your cooking area free of combustible materials. Keep anything that can catch fire, such as food packaging, oven mitts and towels, away from your stovetop.
Microwave ovens emit radiation that will excite water molecules and if there is no moisture available, other less volatile molecules will absorb the radiation and start to heat. Therefore any material which has dried out can overheat and ignite in a microwave oven.
Why do house fires happen at night? House fires usually occur during the evening hours when people are asleep. The main cause of house fires is electrical malfunctions.
On average, fire departments in the U.S. respond to an average of 471 cooking-related fires every day, according to the National Fire Prevention Association. Let's look at the possible causes of fire in the kitchen and how they can be prevented.
Scalding. Scalding accounts for around 33% of all burn injuries. Scalding injuries are caused by the contact of hot liquid or steam with the skin. This form of burn is most prevalent while cooking or food preparation, but it can also occur when bathing in hot water or boiling liquid for other uses, such as scented oils ...
It can effectively extinguish Class A, Class B, and Class C fires, making it a versatile solution for a variety of incidents. Class A fires involve ordinary combustibles such as wood, paper, and cloth, where baking soda can smother the flames by releasing carbon dioxide.
Can you put a wet towel on a grease fire? You should never, under any circumstances, try to put out a grease fire with anything containing water–even a wet towel. This could cause the fire to splatter and spread. Instead, try to smother the flames with a tightly fitting (metal) lid or cookie sheet.
The 3 things a fire needs are heat, fuel and oxygen.
Keep the air vents open to provide a good supply of oxygen to the fire. Add larger pieces of wood as needed, ensuring that they're dry and seasoned correctly. Use a poker or tongs to move the wood around if necessary, and remove any ash buildup from the firebox.
Salt doesn't burn in a fire, which means it can be poured directly onto the flames of a small kitchen fire and used to smother it by depriving it of oxygen. If a frying pan catches on fire, pouring salt over it can get it under control fast.
It's likely not surprising that cooking was the number one cause of reported home fires in the U.S. in 2022. In this one room, policyholders use heat and electricity regularly and sometimes leave their cooking unattended. Cluttered stovetops with flammable materials make the kitchen an even more dangerous place.
As a source of high heat in the house, ovens and hobs are often found to be the cause of a household fire. This typically occurs when an oven has been left on and unattended, or if oil is spilled within the appliance and isn't properly cleaned.