Top Causes of Kitchen Fires

While the days are cooling off with the pending arrival of fall, many people will pack up their summer picnic basket and exchange it for fall cuisines and cooking at home. There’s something about a delicious home-cooked meal that gets your mouth watering. While many people take cooking safety for granted; it should be clear that most home fires start in the kitchen. Before turning on that burner, it’s important to know the top causes of kitchen fires.

Most common causes of kitchen fires

Before preparing that pan and flipping on the burner, there are a few things you should look out for:

• Unattended cooking equipment: leaving your food while your attention is held elsewhere, even for a short period of time, can have disastrous results
• Food: two-thirds of all kitchen fires have begun when the food in the pan has erupted into flames
• Frying: there are many ways to cook food on the stove, but frying is the most common way that a fire can start, mainly because hot oil is so unpredictable and can splatter onto open flame.
• Clothing: while clothing isn’t always involved in a kitchen fire, it is one of the leading causes of kitchen fire deaths

Safety tips to avoid kitchen disasters

It goes without saying that you should never leave food unattended. If you leave the room, turn off the burner. Other safety tips are:

• Never hang towels, potholders, or any other type of cloth on, or over the stove where it can catch fire.
• Keep your stovetop clean. Buildup of fat and food particles can easily start kitchen fires
• Never cook if you’re under the influence of alcohol or prescription drugs. You need to be able to function with a clear head in these situations
• Ventilation: make sure your ventilation is working properly. If it’s blocked, you may have a potentially dangerous situation on your hands, particularly if you’re using a gas stove.
• Water can be a dangerous thing if you’re cooking with oil. If you’re frying food that has been rinsed, dry it well before cooking. Also, if a pan fire has begun, never put it out with water, it can erupt and spread, cover it with a lid to smother it.
• Stove tops aren’t the only way to cook. Microwave safely; never put anything metallic in the microwave, nor dry clothes in it.
• If you’re cooking a romantic candlelit dinner, make sure you use wider, shorter candles as they will be less likely to tip over. And always remember to extinguish them after your dinner.

In case of a fire damage emergency

If a fire does erupt in your kitchen and your family has made it out safely, you may need help in restoring your home. Soil-Away Cleaning and Restoration can help. With over 25 years of experience in cleaning up and repairing damage after kitchen fires, they will not only repair soot and structural damage, they will also remove any smoke odor left behind. For quick, efficient service 24/7 call Soil-Away at 603-641-6555. You can count on them. They will get you up and running.

Written by E. Aceves