Kitchen Fire Prevention Tips
Prevent kitchen fires by taking the following steps:
- Be aware of your clothing. Roll up the sleeves of long-sleeved shirts. Do not store things above the stove. Clothes could catch fire when leaning over stove burners.
- Clean up clutter around cooking surfaces. Keep curtains, flammable decorations, pot holders and food packages away from your cooking surface.
- Heat oil slowly.
- Keep appliances clean. Built up grease can catch fire. Clean your oven regularly.
- Keep kids and pets 3 feet away from the stove.
- Never leave pots and pans or the oven unattended.
- Never overload electrical outlets. Coffee makers, toasters and electrical frying pans are high users of electricity. Do not plug more than one such appliance into an outlet. When circuits become overloaded, they get hot and could cause a short or fire. When appliances are not being used, unplug them. Do not leave detachable appliance cords plugged into the outlet when it is not plugged into the appliance.
- To prevent grease fires, keep a lid that is large enough to cover the frying pan near you when cooking. If food or grease ignites, quickly slide the cover over the lid, then turn off the burner. Leave the lid on till the pan completely cools. Do not use water or a portable fire extinguisher on a grease fire, it could splatter and the fire could spread.
- To prevent microwave oven fires, close the door and unplug or turn off the microwave. Do not open the door till it cools down, then have the microwave serviced by a professional before using again.
- To prevent oven fires, close the door and turn off the heat. If the flames do not go out, call 911.
- Turn pot handles toward the center of the stove.