THE DANGER OF GREASE
FIRES
Yesterday I saw a friend I haven’t seen in a while and was
shocked to see her in a wheelchair. She told me she had gotten burned by fire
and hot oil, and had just gotten back from Singapore after two weeks in the
hospital and two surgeries that involved taking skin grafts from her back. For
the next year, she cannot be exposed to direct light, neither from the sun, nor
from lamps... and she’s only in her 20’s.
My dear friend had suffered from the terrible effects of not
knowing what to do when faced with a grease fire. Since we at Centrepoint Healthcare believe
that in education as a means of prevention, here’s one way to keep yourself out
of the hospital. Consider this your apple for the day.
GREASE FIRES
Grease fires are extremely dangerous because the way to
handle it is not the way we think normal fires should be handled.
What is a grease fire?
A grease fire occurs
when your cooking oil becomes too hot. When heating, oil first starts to
boil, then start smoking, and finally catch on fire. In the case of my friend
she was making fried chicken when the oil caught on fire.
If you are cooking
something and your oil starts to smoke, turn off the flame immediately or move
the pan away from the heat source.
DO NOT THROW WATER ON A GREASE FIRE! The water will
violently vaporize, spraying burning grease everywhere including your skin.
This is the number one mistake many people make with a grease fire (my friend
included).
What to do if a grease fire happens?
- Turn off the heat
- Do NOT move the pot. Throwing the pot outside might seem logical in the frenzy of the moment, but moving the pot might splash burning oil on you, your home, and anything outside.
- Cover the pan/pot completely with a metal
lid. Do not use a glass lid, the heat
will shatter the glass. If you cannot find a metal lid use a baking tray. Make
sure when you do this you’re wearing gloves to protect yourself.
What other
options do you have to kill a grease fire?
- Baking
soda. If the fire is small, you can use baking soda, but you will need a
LOT so this may not be the best alternative.
** Do not use other powdery or baking
substances such as flour or even baking powder. These are not substitutes and
can have a very adverse reaction to the fire.
- A fire extinguisher. This is your last
resort, as fire extinguishers will contaminate your kitchen. Still, it's better
than the alternative if the fire is getting out of control.
Watch
what happens on Mythbusters when the tiniest (a teaspoon) bit of water is
thrown on a grease fire:
and
for the scientifically curious – what exactly happens as water is thrown on hot
oil?
The Lesson?
Do
not leave your cooking unattended. If a grease fire cannot be contained it
could spread from your pan and end up burning your kitchen, or worse, your
home.
Please, do yourself
a favour and teach your maids, children, and spouse/partners/flatmates how to
handle a grease fire properly. It could save you a lot of trouble.
To this...
- Turn off the heat
- Do NOT move the pot. Throwing the pot outside might seem logical in the frenzy of the moment, but moving the pot might splash burning oil on you, your home, and anything outside.
- Cover the pan/pot completely with a metal lid. Do not use a glass lid, the heat will shatter the glass. If you cannot find a metal lid use a baking tray. Make sure when you do this you’re wearing gloves to protect yourself.
- Baking soda. If the fire is small, you can use baking soda, but you will need a LOT so this may not be the best alternative. ** Do not use other powdery or baking substances such as flour or even baking powder. These are not substitutes and can have a very adverse reaction to the fire.
- A fire extinguisher. This is your last resort, as fire extinguishers will contaminate your kitchen. Still, it's better than the alternative if the fire is getting out of control.
Written :By Elsie Mullers
