Kitchen Fires

5/21/2018 (Permalink)

From 2011-2015, USA fire departments responded to an estimated average of 170,200 home structure fires that involved cooking equipment.  Forty-seven (47 %) percent of reported homes structure fires were caused by cooking.  Never leave pots and pans unattended on the stove--don't forget to turn the oven off after the baking is completed; double check yourself.  Don't believe that running up the street to the convenience store for 5 minutes and leaving flames on, yet low, on the stove, is safe--it's not.  For instance, boiling water on the stove, and then going off to check the laundry.  The laundry is finished, and you become distracted, wanting to fold the clothes while they are still hot out of the dryer.  In an effort to save time later, and complete the task, you continue on to another area of the home, to put all the folded clothes away.  How much time has passed?  How high was that flame on the stove?  How much water was in the pot?  It could be long enough to evaporate all the water in the pot, and the flame continues on without the benefit of water in the pot.  Most fires are not total losses, and most fires are kitchen fires, however, no one wants to have a fire experience in their lives.