Kitchen Fires:
What to Do


The leading cause of kitchen fires is cooking. According to FEMA, kitchen fires typically start from very common accidents like leaving food in the oven or on the stove and forgetting about it.

Life is so busy and you have a lot that you are doing at any given moment. Add raising your children to an already hectic life and it’s not surprising that you would forget something here and there.

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So, when you are in the kitchen and cooking AND dealing with your children, it’s even more important to pay extra attention to what is going on so you can hopefully prevent unnecessary fires in the kitchen.



Kitchen Fire Safety Tips


Cooking Fire


This is the most common kind of kitchen fire. A cooking fire can be things like the water boils over the pot or you’re melting butter and it scorches. This is the most mild of kitchen fires. But, here are some basic precautions:

  • Be careful of any loose fitting clothes like robes or long sleeves. These could catch fire on a burner or flame.

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  • Keep your toaster away from the curtains, paper towels or anything else that could catch on fire.

  • Toasters and the food you’re toasting can catch on fire. Tell your child that they should get an adult immediately if they see a fire in the toaster.


  • Double check you have turned off the oven and all the burners when you are done cooking. Your child could wander into the kitchen and hurt himself if anything has been left on and is still hot.

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  • Don’t use towels as potholders. Make sure you use an actual potholder or hot pad.

    But, be aware that these, still, are all easily flammable items. So, keep them away from the flames and heat.


  • Keep a fire extinguisher near by in the kitchen. A fire extinguisher can put out small fires easily before they get out of control.



Kitchen Grease Fire


A grease fire can be extremely dangerous. These fires are most commonly started by oil, fat and grease because they are highly flammable.

A kitchen grease fire has open flames that move quickly to your cabinets and can engulf your entire kitchen and surrounding rooms in a matter of seconds.

Keep your children out of the kitchen when you are dealing with grease. Here are other kitchen grease fire safety tips:

  • Be careful of oil, fat, and grease because they easily splatter and spill while you are cooking.

  • Get splatter screens to put over your frying pans to keep the grease contained.

  • Put the lid back on the pan if a grease fire starts inside the pan.

  • Turn off the burner. But, if the flames are too high, don’t do this!

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  • Throw baking soda (a lot of it!) on a grease fire to smother the flames.


  • Use a fire extinguisher immediately.


  • NEVER! Put water on a grease fire!!!! Water mixes with the grease and increase the size of the fire immediately!



Oven Fire


Oven fires, luckily, are usually contained inside the oven. They are still serious, but fortunately, the oven will most likely suffocate the fire.

The oven can be a real hazard for your children though. They get hot to the touch on the outside, toddlers use them to help pull themselves up, and if not locked, can be easily opened by your child. Oven fire tips:

  • Turn off your oven immediately if a fire starts inside.

  • Keep the oven door SHUT if you have a fire in the oven.

  • Install locks and latches on your oven as well as your refrigerator, dishwasher, cabinets and drawers.

  • Turn off your oven as soon as you are finished cooking.

  • Teach your children NEVER to stand on the open oven door.


What to Do if There Is a Kitchen Fire