More than just a prized possession, your home is your private oasis of safety, one which helps exemplify your family and gives you a sense of identity. As such, protecting your home from disasters like fire should be a top priority.
In the kitchen, there are many potential threats that can turn a simple flame into an uncontrollable fire incredibly fast, destroying parts or all of your home. Leaving a dish unattended on an open flame can lead to more dire consequences than a burnt dish. Allowing grease to build up or spilling cooking oil can spark a sudden ignition. Old or faulty electric appliances can also be considered a fire risk.
Worse, most kitchen fires can grow from a spark to a damaging fire in less than a minute. Thus it is vital to be educated in both fire prevention and extinguishment to keep your home safe.
Preventing a Kitchen Fire in Your Home
There are four main tips to keeping your kitchen safe from an unexpected fire:
- Prevent highly flammable material from encountering heating sources. It sounds obvious but failing to keep things like paper or plastic away from oven burners is a big cause of accidental fires in the kitchen. Pay attention to where you place packaged items around a stove top, careful not to leave grocery bags near the stove after unpacking.
- Stay attentive to the food you are cooking. Do not wander away from food or start scrolling your device while it is in the oven or on the stove top for too long. Unattended food can quickly cause kitchen fires, so pay attention while cooking, and monitor your cooking temperatures, too.
- Keep your kitchen tidy and clutter-free. Regular maintenance of your kitchen cooking space can prevent the top two risks from becoming a problem, removing paper and plastic from around your stove as you clean.
- Be sure you have smoke alarms that work and fire extinguishers handy. Just in case something goes aflame despite you following the safety tips above, be sure you have a reliable working warning system. Smoke alarms should be installed in or around your kitchen. Fire extinguishers should be easily accessible somewhere in close proximity to the stove in case a damaging fire breaks out. Be aware though, should this ever happen in your kitchen, it can leave behind damage of its own.
How to Properly Extinguish a Fire in Your Kitchen
However one might start, you should know the safe ways to put out a kitchen fire when it does. It requires these quick actions:
- First, unplug all heating sources. If you are able, unplug any electrical appliance or stove that has caused the fire.
- Try smothering the fire with a damp towel. If your situation allows, wet a towel thoroughly and cover the flames. Open all windows to let out the damaging smoke.
- Treat oil fires differently. An oil or grease fire reacts differently, so you should too. Most importantly, never put water on it, as it will feed the flames. Baking soda is the preferred alternative, or if you have a fire blanket, smothering it with that is also acceptable.
Conclusion
ServiceMaster Restore by DSM wants to help you stay safe from disasters like kitchen fires and is committed to helping you rebuild if a kitchen fire, or other disaster happens. Twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, fifty two weeks a year, in times of crisis and chaos, this reputable and trustworthy disaster restoration team is available to restore your home to safety.