Fires started in the kitchen are the leading cause of fire incidents and fire-related injuries. It’s important to follow safe cooking procedures whenever you’re in the kitchen, whether making a whole meal or just a snack. This blog post will teach useful fire safety tips to prevent kitchen fires.

Fire safety tips

For the sake of your loved ones and your home, please take note of the following fire safety tips for the kitchen:

Don’t throw water on a grease fire

Never put water on a grease fire; rather, smother the blaze. Extreme heat from the water turning to steam can cause serious burns. Oil may spill, further spreading the blaze. To put out a grease fire, slide the lid over the pan while protecting your hand with an oven mitt. Similarly, you can also use a fire blanket to extinguish any grease fires that may occur while cooking. Don’t try to put out the fire by stirring the pan or pouring water on it.

Use separate outlets for more appliances

A second common cause of electrical fires is using too many gadgets in the kitchen at once, which can overload the wall plugs or power lines. So, please ensure enough room between plugs, as the experts advise utilising only one wire per outlet. Lastly, watching for naked wires and frayed cords is important, which could start a fire.

Test all smoke alarms and detectors to ensure they are operational

Before boiling the potatoes or baking pies, you must double-inspect all smoke alarms. Also, check the fire alarms away from the kitchen, and replace the batteries in any gadgets that aren’t functioning properly. Remember that a fire can be prevented before it even starts if you check that your smoke sensors are working well.

Always keep an eye on the food you’re preparing in the kitchen

The major cause of fire-related injuries is when people leave a dish or pot to boil unattended. In addition, you should always stay in the kitchen when frying or grilling food, as this is where most cooking fires begin. Finally, stay in the house, check on the food periodically, and set a kitchen timer if you’re grilling, boiling, or frying something that could take a while.

Keep combustibles away

Fire loves combustible items, and it will eat them away in seconds. So, it is paramount to keep anything flammable (such as oven gloves, tea cosies, wooden tools, hand towels, draperies, food packaging, etc.) far from the stove, oven, or any other heat source.

Keep the fire extinguisher at an immediately accessible location

Fire extinguishers are your best pals in the case of fire incidents. So, please keep them in an accessible location. This way, you can quickly get to them if something happens, like oil splashing on a hot stove or if a candle is knocked over. It is vital to familiarise yourself with the instructions and warnings on the packaging of the fire extinguisher.

Be wary of kids near the kitchen

This is one of the most vital tips to prevent kitchen fires. Kids are naughty and tend to be creative with things like fire. So, keep a vivid look at them all the time whilst you are cooking and keep them away from the kitchen. Furthermore, every parent or relative wants to introduce youngsters to the kitchen ASAP – there is nothing inherently wrong with this, but we should exercise caution and not let our excitement about introducing kids to the kitchen get in the way of good judgement.

Moreover, never let a child, especially a young one, stand in your way while you’re cooking. Also, keep the handles of your pots and pans facing away from you.

Finally, there is the obvious danger of burns if a youngster were to take a pot full of hot liquid and drop it on themselves. Similarly, there is also a chance of fire because oil spilt may quickly catch fire.

Never cook if you are sleepy or drunk

Be mindful of your physical and mental condition when you are cooking. If you are drunk or sleepy, it can cause unexpected fire accidents in your kitchen.

Always be mindful of what you’re wearing

This fire safety tip might seem less important, but most kitchen fire incidents occur because of what you wear. Naturally, shirts with loose sleeves, baggy tops, and even aprons are all fire hazards. Consequently, one should wear short or close-fitting sleeves and keep loose-fitting tops tucked up or tied back with an apron when in the kitchen.

Change the batteries of your smoke detectors

A smoke alarm is generally installed in the kitchen or nearby area. Experts warn that only installing a smoke alarm is not enough; it must also be in working condition.

Lastly, it would be best if you swapped out the batteries in your smoke detectors. In most cases installing new batteries every six months is a decent practice.

What to do in case of a fire?

Firstly, adopting the tips mentioned above is important to prevent kitchen fires. However, we all make mistakes, and accidents can happen. Here is what you must do in case of a fire:

  • Don’t panic, and stay focused.
  • In case of an oven fire, please turn it off and close the door to keep the fire from spreading to you and your belongings.
  • If the fire is in a small area, try using a fire extinguisher.
  • If you can, try to turn off the heat source. (without harming yourself)
  • If fire can spread quickly, collect your family and go outside and call the relevant authorities.

Conclusion

It would be best if you never underestimated fire. It is something that claims many lives on planet earth each year. Nonetheless, it is also a necessity in the kitchen. So, tread with care when you are busy in your kitchen. Also, remember the fire safety tips to prevent kitchen fires that we have described in this blog post. Finally, thanks for the read, stay safe and happy cooking!