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Stove top/cooking fires are one of the most common causes of house fires. They happen quickly and have the potential to be deadly. If this happens to you, you may find yourself with very little time to react. Let's hope that you have never been and will ever find yourself in this situation, but if you do and the fire is small, you may be able to extinguish it.


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EditSteps

  1. 1
    Stay calm. The most important thing you can do in the case of a cooking fire is to remain calm, and stay in control. Taking charge of the situation can help reduce anxiety, and help keep you calm.
  2. 2
    Assess the fire. Quickly decide if you can safely extinguish the fire. If not, direct someone to call emergency services, and quickly, but calmly leave the house. If the fire is small enough and it appears that you can extinguish it, proceed with utmost caution.
  3. 3
    Alert other people in the house so they can escape. Your smoke alarm should have already done this, but if for some reason it didn't, make sure that everyone in the house knows of the fire and can quickly get to safety.
  4. 4
    Put out the fire by smothering it. If you can safely and quickly do so. You can use one or more of the following methods to smother a grease/oil fire:
    • Use an appropriate fire extinguisher if available.
    • Cover the fire with a tight fitting lid if possible. Alternatively you could slide a cookie sheet over a pan that is on fire.
    • Use baking soda or any dry powder such as flour, pancake mix, etc. to smother the fire.
  5. 5
    Stay on high alert until you are sure that the fire has gone out and there is no chance of it reigniting.

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EditTips

  • Make periodic checks to ensure smoke alarms have good batteries and are in good working condition.
  • Have emergency numbers in an easily accessible location.
  • Have an evacuation plan, and make sure everyone that resides in the house knows it.

EditWarnings

  • Do not throw water on a grease/oil fire. It can make the fire spread, and could also cause extremely hot steam to form very quickly.
  • If in doubt get out! Insurance will pay for damages to the house and to your belongings, but insurance cannot pay for a life.

Article Info

Categories: Stub | Disaster Preparedness | Fire Emergencies

Recent edits by: Teresa, Jordan, Claire Fransis

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 336 times.

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