One of the scariest and most panicking experiences people may encounter is dealing with a home cooking or kitchen fire. Most people cook daily, but it only takes seconds to set something on fire. The National Fire Protection Association says almost 50 percent of reported home fires are because of cooking. Holidays are the peak season for kitchen fires, so it is vital to know its common causes to guarantee your food party with your family and friends does not go up in smoke.
Now, let’s discuss what causes kitchen fires so you can prevent them in the first place.
What causes kitchen fires?
Home-cooked meals have many benefits, but it comes with a dangerous risk: cooking fires. Home cooking fires can be prevented, but you must understand their causes to know how to effectively prevent them. So let’s discuss the five notorious culprits of kitchen fires to help you be cautious in the kitchen and guarantee your family’s safety.
1. High cooking temperature
Some people believe turning their stoves up can make cooking speedier. However, setting ridiculously high temperatures when cooking with your kitchen appliances is extremely dangerous. Setting too high temperatures can quickly ignite your food. Always set the cooking temperature to what the recipe requires, and avoid improvising or setting the temperature higher, even if you’re in a rush.
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2. Unattended cooking
Most cases of kitchen fires are the result of inattentiveness and distractions. Taking your attention off of cooking by talking to a loved one or checking your phone can be catastrophic. Most cooking requires grease, heat, and oil, making it possible for a fire to break out when you’re not alert.
Kitchen fires can result in significant fire damage when not quenched quickly. This is also why individuals employ damage restoration professionals following a kitchen fire to restore their property to its healthy state.
3. Hot cooking oil
When broiling or frying anything in oil, always pay attention to it. 50 percent of reported kitchen fires occur due to ignited butter, cooking oil, grease, fat, and other cooking substances. Oil can spread flames fast and might still ignite the next time somebody cooks if there’s a residue left on the stovetops.
4. Greasy and messy kitchens
Grease flammable liquids that are not regularly and properly cleaned from kitchen and appliance surfaces accumulate over time. This buildup can ignite the next time somebody uses the kitchen to cook. Luckily, fire blankets are developed to quench fires fueled by fats, grease, and cooking oils. Grease fires are a common type of kitchen fire, so by ensuring your kitchen is cleaned daily, you’re minimizing your odds of igniting it.
Furthermore, you’re preventing mold development by maintaining a tidy kitchen, as molds love to grow in grease and moisture. People employ a water restoration company when molds have already swarmed particular portions of their homes when they should have done something in the first place to prevent it.
5. Objects too close to the heat source
For people with tight counter space or small kitchens, it’s easy to unawarely or inattentively put or leave things too close to the heat source. Unfortunately, flammable objects like drapes, wood utensils, towels, food boxes, and potholders can quickly catch fire, so always remember to put these away from the heat source when cooking.
