Kitchen Fires

The most common place for a fire to start inside your Crown Point, Hobart, or Dyer home is the kitchen; the garage and laundry room come in at second and third.  It makes sense though, right?  The kitchen’s the room that’s home to the range top, the oven, and multiple electric appliances.  But not all in-home fires are the same.  The kitchen is not only the most likely place for an accidental fire, it is also the location most susceptible to the widestvariety of fires.  Before I go any further, if you have an in-home fire and your clothes happen to catch fire, you know the drill: STOP, DROP, AND ROLL! And if the flames are high and out of control GET OUT OF YOUR HOUSE AND GET TO SAFETY FIRST, THEN CALL 911!  Don’t risk your life.  There’s no sense in anyone getting hurt.  Things can be replaced, people can’t.  That said, here are the three most common types of small in-home fires and the best method for putting them out.

1. Wood, paper, cloth fire: Put out the flames with water or a class A fire extinguisher.
2. Grease fire: Use baking soda or a class B extinguisher.  If the fire is in a pan, slide a lid over the top first to smother the flames and turn off the heat.  DO NOT USE WATER!  Water will only make a grease fire spread.
3. Electric fire: Baking soda or a class C extinguisher.  Again, no water.

Home fire extinguishers should have an ABC rating to cover most home fires.