Use a Cover, Baking Soda, or Fire Extinguisher One is to clamp a pot or pan cover over it to snuff it out. Another is to smother it in a generous amount of baking soda. Lastly, you can use a Class A fire extinguisher, a handy tool to have in your kitchen at all times.
To clean your oven after a fire, use baking soda and water to scrub away the burnt residue. Follow up with vinegar for an extra tough cleaning job! Finally, dry off the outside of the oven and you are good to go.
The big no-no in most kitchen fires is to douse them with water, since the majority of cooking-related fires involve either grease or electrical appliances. Water will often only make a grease or electrical fire worse. Instead, you want to smother them, depriving the fire of oxygen and, hopefully, putting it out.
Whatever is burning in the oven is the fuel source—opening the door will feed it more oxygen. With the door closed, the fire could go out on its own. If you can do it safely, shut off and unplug the oven. While you're doing that, unplug any other nearby electrical appliances or devices.
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.
The Bottom Line. In most cases, it's not advisable to use an oven that has experienced a fire without a thorough inspection and potential repairs. Safety should be your top priority. Consult with a professional technician to determine the extent of the damage and whether it's safe to continue using the appliance.
Pour on Baking Soda - Baking soda will extinguish grease fires, but only if they're small. It takes a lot of baking soda to do the job. Spray the Pot with a Class B Dry Chemical Fire Extinguisher - This is your last resort, as fire extinguishers will contaminate your kitchen.
Mix about 1/2 cup of baking soda with just enough water to make a spreadable paste. Add a little warm water at a time to the baking soda until you get the right consistency. You may have to make more paste depending on the size of your oven. Apply the paste inside the oven using a regular paintbrush.
👉 Turn off the oven to remove the source of fuel and heat. 👉 Wait for the fire to go out. 👉 Open windows to ventilate the smoke. Most of the time this will be all that is needed, however if at any time you feel unsafe do not hesitate to call 911.
After a house fire, do not make an attempt to use any electrical appliances, it might ignite another fire and cause further damage.
Pour baking soda or salt onto the fire.
This method works best for a small fire, since you'll need enough salt or baking soda to cover the fire completely. You can always spray the fire with a Class B or Class K fire extinguisher, though this should be a last resort since it will contaminate your kitchen.
Using a wet towel to put out a grease fire seems like an easy fix, but it isn't. It's not just ineffective; it's also hazardous. You see, grease fires burn at a much higher temperature than boiling water. For instance, vegetable oils commonly used in cooking have flashpoints twice to thrice as water.
These instructions are for cleaning the inside of an empty oven. Any remains of baking soda left on heating elements can cause smoke, so ensure all baking soda residue is completely removed before you use the oven to cook again!
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.
Douse the Flames
Instead, you can reach for two pantry staples to help douse a small grease fire safely: 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.
This is a very bad idea. A gas oven may emit carbon monoxide, while an electric oven can overheat and start a fire if it's on for too long.
COOKING, HEATING BIGGEST CULPRITS Cooking is the number one cause of home fires and home fire injuries. Home fires are more likely to start in the kitchen than any other room in your home, and leaving your cooking unattended causes most kitchen fires.
— Baking soda can be used on very small fires. — If you set a dish towel or an oven mitt on fire, throw it in the sink and run water over it. — DON'T use flour or cornstarch on a fire, because they are combustible materials and could possibly cause an explosion.
At USC, "ABC" fire extinguishers are filled with a fine yellow powder. The greatest portion of this powder is composed of monoammonium phosphate. Nitrogen is used to pressurize the extinguishers.