Tips for Preventing Kitchen Fires

If you are currently experiencing a fire? Please call 911 immediately. Rapid Restoration does not service live fire situations. However, we will aid in the post-fire cleanup and restoration process. 

The kitchen is in one way or another the cause of a high number of house fires. Most if not all of these fires could have been prevented if proper steps would have been taken before the fire started. Make your kitchen as safe as possible by identifying and preventing or removing potential fire hazards.

Preventative Steps

As with everything, taking the safety steps beforehand is going to be one of the most effective ways to prevent disasters from occurring. When it comes to fires in the kitchen, there are two main steps that should be taken from the very beginning to ensure safety. These will complement other measures that need to be taken:

• First, teach those living in the home, especially children, about fire and kitchen safety. From an early age safety around the kitchen and other areas of the home should be learned. Just understanding the dangers that can come from the stove, oven, or other appliances can help reduce the likelihood of an accidental kitchen fire.

• The right tools need to be in place to prevent, or at the very least, alert you to a fire. The first of these should be a smoke detector. It is important that the smoke detector is not located too close to the kitchen to alert you to every cooking mishap, but close enough that should a real problem occur, you will be protected. In addition to this a fire extinguisher should be kept in the kitchen. Make sure that everyone in your home knows how to use the extinguisher in an emergency situation. This is especially vital in the case of grease fires, which should not be doused by water.

Making these preparations in the house beforehand will make it easier to protect your home from kitchen fires. Make sure these things are set into place today.

Cooking

Fires are so common in the kitchen because of the cooking appliances that are used. Follow these safety tips in your kitchen to prevent fires here, increasing safety for everyone in the home.

• No matter if you have a gas or electric stove, make sure to keep it maintained and in good working condition. Replace one that becomes too old.

• Prevent grease from building up in the range hood. Most kitchen fires started are caused at least in some part by grease.

• Never try to use water to put out a grease fire, this will only cause it to spread. Instead, use the lid of a pan or fire extinguisher to put out these flames

• It is especially important for those who have a gas stove to keep away anything that could potentially catch on fire. This includes long sleeves, dish rags, oven mitts, curtains, and more.

• Don’t ever leave the stove unattended. This is just asking for a house fire.

• Make sure not to overload the electrical outlets in your kitchen with appliances. Check to make sure they are all grounded.

Taking a few extra steps now in your home will help to prevent future accidents later. By making preparations now you will better prevent home fires from the kitchen, or other areas in your home.