How To Put Out A Kitchen Fire Quickly
It can happen when you least expect it. You turn around for a minute and then you see flames. Your stove is burning along with whatever is on it. What do you do besides panic? Panic is what a lot of people do when they are caught completely off guard by a fire in the kitchen. Sometimes there will be grease involved when it is on the stove because it is so highly flammable. Water will boil over, but it will not catch on fire. It can cause the stove to short out if it is electric. If there are wooden cabinets near the stove, those are usually the next things to catch on fire and it is so important to get the flames out before that happens.
Many times your first instinct will be to throw water on the flames. This can also be a mistake because if the grease is on fire, the water might only make it splatter and throw droplets of hot water and grease onto you. It will also not likely put out the flames. Next you might think to smother it out with a hand towel or apron, this can be dangerous too because if this item catches on fire too, you are only increasing your problems. By now your smoke alarm has probably gone off and your kitchen is filling up with smoke, especially if it grease that is burning. Depending on how much grease was in your pan or pot, will determine how big the flames get and how quickly. If there is a pot full of grease that you were preparing for deep frying, you could have blazes that almost reach the ceiling by now and you could be overcome by the smoke.
When will you finally think to reach for your fire extinguisher? Many times someone will delay using the fire extinguisher because they make such a terrible mess when spray it, but that should always be beside the point when your home is on fire. It can be difficult to reach a fire extinguisher if it is placed too near the stove and that is what is on fire. Keep it close, but not too close. Use it sooner rather than later. After all, that is what you have it for. It usually does not take much to extinguish small flames, but it might take more if you allow the flames to grow bigger while you are deciding how to put it out.
A soon as you are convinced that you can not put out the flames, stop and call the fire department immediately. You can continue to spray the flames after that and possibly get it out, if you can not, go ahead and leave the room and get everyone out of the home. Smoke can travel throughout the home quickly and it does not take a lot to make you r eyes water and you can start to choke. The flames might still be going, but it is more important that you and yours get to safety. If you have a gas stove, there is no guarantee that there will not be an explosion, so you need to get out and wait for the fire department.
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