Good reminder about kitchen fires

Had an interesting moment last night around dinner time. The wife is cooking something on the stove, and goes around the corner to check on my son. I'm sitting in the living room and when she comes back around to check on the food, she see's the foot + tall flames coming off the stove top.

She freaks out a little bit and I come running up there. Take the pot off the stove, and try to blow it out. It's not running wild or anything but it's not going out either. Try the old "put the lid of a pot on there" trick and cant find a lid big enough.

sooo... time for a fire extinguisher... tell her to open the windows etc, run to the garage to grab the can.. it's not where I thought it would be.. really self???

I have a backup that I keep in my front closet, run grab that, have to read the damn instructions lol... finally get it going, little blast from the fire extinguisher and no more fire.

Wife is actually pretty shaken up about it. I thought it was a little funny running around the house looking for pots and pans and fire extinguishers lol.... but this prompts me to go check all the cans I have in the house. I find my big one that was supposed to be next to the garage door (it magically got moved somehow, I'm sure it wasn't my wife [Bang] yes sarcasm lol) and it's on empty. Go check the one I keep in my truck. it reads empty too. The one I actually used, now reads empty (I didnt use the whole thing?).

anyway, good reminder about procedure and preparedness. I will have to go through, and restock the house, and teach the wife about some stuff. not to mention, i will probably use the cans that I am going to replace to train myself a little. Still cant believe I had to read the instructions to make the damn thing work. "heat" (pun intended lol) of the moment maybe.

soooo.. go check your fire extinguishers everyone lol...

You don't have a box of baking soda near the stove?

I'm very glad you caught it in time and was able to get it out. My mom was a chef so I got the kitchen fire training from her, only had to use it once or twice ever and hope that I never forget how to treat kitchen fires.

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Originally Posted by Marlin

You don't have a box of baking soda near the stove?

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lol... you would think that would be top of mind wouldnt you....

we probably dont, but we didnt even think about it till afterward... again with the training..

[Tooth]

Yep, one time me and the wife were carrying in groceries and she sat a bag next to the gas stove and went back out to get more, i sat a bag next to it pushing it. When we came back in we found the stove/wall on fire. The lid came off the cooking spray in her bag, i pushed it against the back splash causing it to spray on the gas stove. Was pretty exciting getting it out.

I keep an extinguisher under the sink, one upstairs in the master bedroom and one downstairs in the man cave.

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Originally Posted by Ranger

My mom was a chef so I got the kitchen fire training from her, only had to use it once or twice ever and hope that I never forget how to treat kitchen fires.

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My dad was a firefighter, he taught me that kitchen safety, I'm willing to bet even though our parents did different things that we have the exact same lessons! [Beer]
Chad, happy that your house didn't burn down- about 30% of all house fires start in the kitchen... I guess lessons were learned here- get that wife of yours some cooking lessons [ROFL1] Just kidding.[Tooth]

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Originally Posted by Ronin13

My dad was a firefighter, he taught me that kitchen safety, I'm willing to bet even though our parents did different things that we have the exact same lessons! [Beer]
Chad, happy that your house didn't burn down- about 30% of all house fires start in the kitchen... I guess lessons were learned here- get that wife of yours some cooking lessons [ROFL1] Just kidding.[Tooth]

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LOL [ROFL1]

our stove is really really old... not sure what exactly was actually on fire.. it was hash browns in the pan (we were making brinner lol). the I could see the fire was from under where the burner is. probably gease that has gotten under there from over the years or something..

i am a firm believer that we all need to take eachothers close calls and use them as reminders. you can bet that I will be refreshing myself and the fam about kitchen fires lol..

was it oil or grease on fire?

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Originally Posted by funkymonkey1111

was it oil or grease on fire?

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well... i guess Im not entirely sure.. it was something from under the burner. like under the main top housing of the stove. I'm sure it's really dirty under there. there was nothing on top of the stove that would have caught fire...

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Originally Posted by Chad4000

The one I actually used, now reads empty (I didnt use the whole thing?).

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Former firefighter...


check your extinguishers Monthly

every 6 months at minimum

if you pull the pin on a fire extinguisher, it will leak... there is extinguisher material in the seal now... it must be replaced regardless of how little you used it.

ALWAYS use the right extinguisher for the job!


http://rehs.rutgers.edu/pdf_files/RU...Guidelines.pdf

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Originally Posted by Marlin

You don't have a box of baking soda near the stove?

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This is what I was thinking also or an extinguisher under the sink or by the trash can?????

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Originally Posted by DD977GM2

This is what I was thinking also or an extinguisher under the sink or by the trash can?????

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I havent replaced all the fire extinguishers yet, but I did move one to under the kitchen sink. Not sure why I ever thought one in the front closet would be helpful? lol

costco has good deals on fire extinguishers.
I have 1 in the garage, basement and kitchen, plus one in the boat.

remember that if you put water on a oil/grease fire you will get severely burned and it only intensifies the flames. My mom found that out the hard way.

oil got too hot, caught fire, she tossed the pan in the sink and turned the water on and the flames hit the 20' vaulted ceilings. my dad grabbed a cloth and tossed it off the deck in the back yard!

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Originally Posted by sniper7

costco has good deals on fire extinguishers.
I have 1 in the garage, basement and kitchen, plus one in the boat.

remember that if you put water on a oil/grease fire you will get severely burned and it only intensifies the flames. My mom found that out the hard way.

oil got too hot, caught fire, she tossed the pan in the sink and turned the water on and the flames hit the 20' vaulted ceilings. my dad grabbed a cloth and tossed it off the deck in the back yard!

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we did know not to use water.... thankfully.. lol

I won't laugh at you, I too have done the same damn thing.

Only it was junk mail. Tossed on an eye that had been left on (barely left on) all night.. probably took 30 mins till it was a ball of fire.

I had just moved in and had NO idea where my extinguisher was..

I still need a new stove..

Mine was seasoning a cast iron pan. I pulled it out to cool and my wife thought I was cooking something and turned the burner on...

You're lucky. When my wife had a skillet catch on fire I got to the kitchen in time to yell stop (she didn't) before she stuck it under the faucet. It flared and I wound up replacing the blinds over the sink and had to re-paint the entire kitchen after scrubbing off as much as I could of the soot/smoke. Luckily she wasn't burned.

yeah I feel a little lucky that nothing worse happened.. especially with me running around the house looking for shit like I was hahaa

My wife isn't allowed to burn dinner. ;)

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Originally Posted by Chad4000

we did know not to use water.... thankfully.. lol

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good thing! If can be nasty.

if you are ever bored and want to try it, go outside and get some cooking oil popping then toss some water on it. then imagine flames coming off of that. I remember my mom when to the doctor the next day with 2nd degree burns where she was holding the pan and red marks on her arm when the boiling oil sprayed on her arm.

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Originally Posted by Monky

I won't laugh at you, I too have done the same damn thing.

Only it was junk mail. Tossed on an eye that had been left on (barely left on) all night.. probably took 30 mins till it was a ball of fire.

I had just moved in and had NO idea where my extinguisher was..

I still need a new stove..

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I thought you only cooked on perfect operating temperature Ferrari engines?[Tooth]

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Originally Posted by Irving

My wife isn't allowed to burn dinner. ;)

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that's cause you have to cook it....WOMAN!!!!!!![ROFL1]

How do I know dinner is ready?
The smoke alarm goes off. [Dinner]

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Originally Posted by Byte Stryke

Former firefighter...

check your extinguishers Monthly

every 6 months at minimum

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At the shop, our local VFD requires an annual check consisting of flipping the extinguisher over and tapping (mallet or palm) until the contents is mixed. Replace after ten years.

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Originally Posted by sniper7

that's cause you have to cook it....WOMAN!!!!!!![ROFL1]

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lol..

the first thing i said after I put the fire out was "can we still eat that?"

i was hungry!!

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Originally Posted by sniper7

I thought you only cooked on perfect operating temperature Ferrari engines?[Tooth]

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With the price of gas that costs too much to keep it running [Coffee]