Preventing and Avoiding Grease Fires in the Home

Handling grease fires in the home.  

Hopefully you never have to deal with a grease fire, but if it happens, how you handle it is important. A grease fire isn’t like a regular fire, and trying to put it out the same way can make it worse, causing more damage to your home. A grease fire is caused by oil becoming too hot in a pan. Generally, oil smokes before it burns, so if you see your pan starting to smoke, move it off the heat before it has the chance to catch fire.
Avoiding grease fires while cooking:

• Never leave a pot or a pan unattended – This is the leading cause of kitchen fires
• Don’t cook when intoxicated or tired
• Remove as much moisture as possible from food before cooking
• Never put frozen food into hot grease
• Heat oil slowly
• Add food slowly and gently to the hot oil to avoid splatter
• Keep anything flammable (oven mitts, wooden utensils, etc.) away from the stovetop

Putting out a small grease fire on your stove:

• Never use water to put out a grease fire – it will only make it worse!
• If possible, turn off the burner immediately
• Put a heavy metal lid on the pan to cut off the oxygen supply
• If you have a large fire or it starts to spread, don’t put yourself at risk trying to put it out. Get everyone out of the house and call 911

If a home fire does happen, remember that your home insurance can step in to help cover the damages.  For a tailored home insurance policy to suit your needs and budget, contact McCarty Insurance. We serve homeowners in Fresno and neighboring cities in California.