Kitchen Fires

“Fire is never a gentle master”
-Proverb

One of the most common causes of home fires is cooking in the kitchen. Perhaps you forget something on the stove or overheat grease/oil which alights in flame. Grease fires are extremely dangerous because the grease is easily splashed, burns very hot and can quickly spread to cabinets or other areas of the kitchen.

Here's some tips on dealing with stove top fires from SurvivalBlog.com.

• NEVER throw flour on a fire. Flour dust is combustible and the flour "cloud" you create can "flash".
• Sugar is also flammable - don't toss onto a flame. 
• NEVER pour or throw water onto flaming oil (600 to 800 F). The water will "explode" into steam (212 F) and spray the flaming oil.
• USE baking soda [not baking powder] or salt in quantity to smother a flame.
• Most professional chefs keep a pan lid or wet towel near the stove to cover a pan fire. But beware, if the flames are tall you may burn your arms and hands trying to put the lid on the pan.
• NEVER move a flaming pan away from the stove. The contents could splash out or flare over your hand causing you to drop it.
• NEVER pour flaming oil down the sink. It will damage most modern plumbing.
• NEVER use a turkey fryer indoors

Bottom Line

Know how to put a small fire. But also know when to run.

"Unless the fire is small and you have an extinguishing method on hand CALL FOR HELP FIRST! Evacuate, then fight the fire." - survivalblog

Kitchen fire extinguishers won't last long and won't put out a fire bigger than your stove top. Fire spreads quickly so if you at first you don't succeed, DON'T try again. Get out.