What is a grease fire and what do I do to put it out?
One of the most common types of household fires are grease fires. Cooking causes 160,000 home structure fires annually and two-thirds started with the ignition of food or other cooking materials, often ignited by grease. What’s the difference between a grease fire and an apartment fire?
P/C State Farm
It only takes 30 seconds for a grease fire to get out of control beyond the point of being put out with a fire extinguisher. Because there is such a short amount of time for you to act and put out a grease fire, you’ll want to know exactly what to do and what not to do so you can react quickly.
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Cover the flames with a metal lid or cookie sheet. Leave the cover on until it has cooled.
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Turn off the heat source.
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If it’s small and manageable, pour baking soda or salt on it to smother the fire. (Do not use similar items such as flour or baking powder as they are not the same chemical makeup and will make the fire worse.)
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As a last resort, spray the fire with a Class B dry chemical fire extinguisher.
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Do not try to extinguish the fire with water. (Because water and oil don’t mix, it splashes the grease around and often makes things worse.)
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Do not attempt to move the pot or pan outside.
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If your cabinets are on fire, get out and call 911.
