Most household fires start in the kitchen. Unattended cooking and human error account for most fires not mechanical failure of stoves or ovens.
How to handle a kitchen fire
- Call 911 immediately.
- Smother frying-pan fires by covering with a lid. Then turn off heat with lid in place until the pan cools. Do not try to carry the pan outside.
- Other food fires may be extinguished with baking soda. Never use water or flour on cooking fires.
- Turn off the heat to smother oven or broiler fires and keep the door shut.
Smart homeowners keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and know how to use it. The National Fire Protection Association recommends extinguishers classified 2A:10B:C. Make sure it's UL (Underwriters Laboratories) approved.
