Kitchen fire in Pittston home

2/4/2022 (Permalink)

Kitchen fires can be prevented

One of the scariest experiences you can face is dealing with a home cooking fire. It can take only one second for something to catch on fire. You can take a number of steps to prevent this from happening in your home.

Watch What You are cooking

 Unattended cooking is a leading cause of cooking fires. You can mitigate fire risks by:

• Staying in the kitchen when you fry, broil, or grill
• Turning off the heat source if you do leave then kitchen, even for a moment or two
• Using a timer when cooking and be sure to check on food regularly to ensure it is not getting overdone

Clear Your Cooking Surfaces

• Keep flammable items such as wooden spoons, potholders, towels, and paper towels clear of the stovetop
• Clean the oven regularly to remove any food debris and clean up spills immediately
• Clean stovetops regularly, removing oil, grease, and food debris
• Keep flammable items such as paper packaging or plastic bags clear of cooking appliances such as toasters, toaster ovens, deep fryers, or electric skillets
• Clean grease and oil from the outside of pots and pans before you put them on the stove or in the oven

Maintain Personal Safety

• Do not wear loose-fitting clothing around cooking surfaces, especially loose sleeves.
• Roll up sleeves to keep them away from cooking surfaces.
• Tuck in shirts before cooking.
• Secure long hair to keep it away from cooking surfaces.
• Keep children and pets away from cooking surfaces.
• If you have children in the house, consider using the back burners of the stove.

General Safety Tips

• Prevent spillovers of grease or oil by not overfilling pots and pans.
• Keep metal out of the microwave.
• Be careful when lighting a pilot light or flame.
• Do not leave candles or steno pots burning unattended.

Keep Fires from Getting Out of Control

• Install a smoke detector just outside of your kitchen.
• Keep a dry chemical fire extinguisher in the kitchen
• Do not put water on a grease fire. Instead, smother it with a pot lid or use baking soda or a chemical fire extinguisher.

SERVPRO of Kingston, Pittston City and Wyoming County has the water and fire damage training and expertise to help you through this tough time. Once the fire department leaves, your Kingston home may suffer from water damage caused by firefighting efforts. We have the specialized fire and water damage restoration training, personnel, and equipment to manage fire and water damage and can quickly restore your home to pre-fire condition.

Available 24/7- Call us today at 570-714-0900