Fire safety in the kitchen

July 24, 2023 – Defence Stories

Kitchen fires are making a comeback! Many of them happen when people are not paying attention, they leave things unattended, or even place combustible items on stove tops. Find out how to keep your kitchen safe from fire and know what to do if a fire starts in your kitchen.

Kitchen Safety

Did you know that most home fires happen when an open flame or heat sources are left unsupervised? There are several things you can do to prevent fires in the kitchen which can save lives:

• Do not leave your cooking unsupervised - Remove pans from heat if you're called away from the stove, e.g., by a phone call.
• When the stove is not in use, keep the stove top clear of ALL objects that can burn, such as boxes, clothes, shoes, electronics, other cooking appliances or accessories (e.g. air fryer, oven mitts, etc.).
• If an electrical appliance catches fire, don’t throw water on it.  Use a kitchen portable fire extinguisher (rated ABC).
• When possible, do not locate a smoke in a kitchen or near the bathroom – the smoke/steam can cause false alarm. If unavoidable, opt for smoke alarms equipped with a hush button capable of instantly silencing it, this will eliminate the temptation to remove the battery.

Cooking Safety

You can prevent cooking fires – either via stove or toaster - by following these simple tips:

• Turn cookware handles so they don't stick out over the edge of the stove or over the cooking element.
• After each use, turn off the stove/oven.
• Make sure tea-towels aren’t hanging over the stove.
• Keep the stove/oven clean of all spills, fat built-up, etc.
• Clean the toaster and empty the crumb tray on a regular basis.
• Do not use/store toasters near curtains or other overhead combustible materials.
• Do not wear loose clothing while cooking.
• Do not cook with impaired faculties (e.g. via alcohol / other substances such as prescription drugs).

Cooking with Oil

Use extreme caution when you are deep-fat frying or cooking with oil because hot oil can easily catch fire. Make sure you:

• Do not fill a chip pan or other deep-fat fryer more than one-third full of oil;
• Use a thermostat-controlled deep-fat fryer so you can monitor the oil temperature; and
• Dispose of the oil only when it has fully cooled.

Ventilation Equipment in the Kitchen

Do not neglect your range hood!

• Ensure to inspect your range hood (or other kitchen fume exhaust fan) for grease buildup and clean regularly.
• Check for blockages or any signs of malfunctions – remediate as necessary.
• For gas stoves, maintenance of the ventilation system is very important to avoid accidents due to gas buildup. See Domestic gas installation and health and safety for more information about gas safety.

Dealing with a fire in your kitchen:

If a pan catches fire -

• Stay calm!
• Don't move it - it will be very hot.
• If available or safe to do so, cover the pan with a lid, cutting air to the fire will extinguish it.
• Turn off the heat of the stove/oven if it's safe to do so - don’t lean over the pan to reach the controls.
• Never use water on chip pan fires as it will intensify the fire, use a fire blanket to smother the flames if it safe to do so;
• If using a fire extinguisher, Use caution and follow direction - misuse can actually cause a fire to spread.
• If the fire doesn’t go out, get out, stay out and call 911.