Kitchen fires are most often caused by: Leaving cooking food unattended. Placing combustibles too close to the heat source. Unintentionally turning on or not turning off the equipment.
Cooking is, by far, the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries. In 2021, fire departments in the United States responded to an estimated 170,000 home cooking fires. These fires caused an estimated 135 deaths, 3,000 injuries and over $494 million in property loss.
Napkins, paper towels, rags, food packages, cookbooks, recipe cards, and wooden utensils should never be left near or around your stove or oven top. It's important any highly flammable or combustible items are kept away from your cooking surfaces.
Cooking causes nearly half (49%) of all home structure fires in the US. Cooking fires lead to an average of 550 deaths and 4,820 injuries every year. That's right, cooking can be a matter of life and death.
Unattended cooking is the leading cause of kitchen fires
Kitchen fires can originate in a few ways, such as accidentally turning on a stove or forgetting to turn it off, leaving messes, having heat sources too close to combustible materials, or throwing aside or abandoning material that may catch on flame.
The National Fire Protection Association credits the ignition of food as being the culprit for nearly two-thirds of kitchen fires. Whether frying, baking, or broiling, leave yourself with enough time to cook so that you don't need to crank up the stove or oven temperature.
Besides gasoline and lighter fluid, things like rubbing alcohol, nail polish remover, hand sanitizer and wart remover can easily catch fire. According to the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, all flammable and combustible products must have a warning label.
Unattended cooking is by FAR the leading factor of most kitchen fires.
Water Makes Grease Fires Worse
Never try to extinguish a grease fire with water. Throwing water on the fire can cause burning grease to splash, which can make the fire spread and potentially harm bystanders. It is dangerous to move a pan or pot of burning oil for the same reasons.
Cooking is the leading cause of home fires in the United States, starting almost half of all fires. Heating is the second highest cause, followed by electrical systems/lighting equipment and intentional fires.
You should never put water on a grease fire, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
Foods may appear fine after being near a fire but could be compromised in the following ways: The heat can cause jars and cans to split and crack allowing germs to enter. Even if cans and jars are undamaged, heat can cause the food to spoil. Smoke and chemicals from the fire can poison foods.
Light, small or fast-burning fuels
Light fuels ignite quickly and cause rapid spread of fire. They act as kindling for heavier fuels and burn out faster. Some green fuels such as tree needles have high oil content and are fast-burning when they are not in an active growing stage.
What materials are fire-resistant? Various building materials are fire-resistant, but some of the best ones are fire-resistant glass windows, concrete, gypsum, stucco and brick.
Fire is FAST!
In less than 30 seconds a small flame can turn into a major fire. It only takes minutes for thick black smoke to fill a house or for it to be engulfed in flames.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports that electric stoves are responsible for nearly 4 times as many fires as gas stoves. In structure fires caused by a range or stove, electric stoves were responsible for 3.4 times as many deaths as gas stove fires.
Humans cause nearly 90% of wildfires in the United states1 via discarded cigarettes, unattended campfires, burning debris, or through equipment malfunctions.
Don'ts of putting out a grease fire:
Don't extinguish a grease fire with water or a wet towel. Don't use flour, baking powder or sugar to smother the fire. Don't remove the pan from the burner or place it in the sink. The oil may splash around and potentially burn you.