According to the National Fire Protection Association Home, in the United States alone, fire departments responded to an estimated average of 172,900 home fires between 2014–2018, causing more than $1 billion in property damage each year. These statistics are even more alarming considering the peak time for cooking-related fires happens more frequently during Thanksgiving and Christmas — times when people are more likely to get together.
The holiday season is coming up! To ensure you and your family have a happy, uninterrupted time, keep an eye out for the following common causes of kitchen fires. If an accident were to happen, contact our home restoration company, Maven Restoration Group, right away to request a quote.
By far, the leading cause of home cooking-related fires is unattended cooking. Even something as simple as taking your eyes off a boiling pot to check your phone could spiral into a fire that’s too large to control. More often than not, the culprit is cooking oils, which, when ignited, could spread flames to nearby combustible materials, such as kitchen rags, wooden cabinetry, and paper towels. Leftover grease on appliances and countertops could also add fuel to the fire.
When cooking, keep an eye on the stovetop or oven periodically, depending on your cooking temperature. If you’re simmering or baking on low, you may leave the kitchen for extended periods but check back every half an hour or so. Most cooking with medium or high temperatures likely requires your undivided attention.
Deep frying is particularly hazardous when left unattended because of the more significant amount of oil required. As anyone who’s worked at a fast-food restaurant would tell you, hot oil can be hazardous and likes to splatter around everywhere, spreading potentially-flammable grease. Using too much or the wrong type of oil at the wrong temperature could also cause food to combust and the oil to start smoking.
To fry foods safely, make sure to use cooking oil with a high smoke point, such as peanut or canola oil, and turn down the temperature if you start noticing any smoke. Never dip frozen or overly-wet ingredients into the oil as this would agitate it and cause more splatter. Use protective gear when handling hot appliances and keep an eye on the fryer at all times.
Even minor ignitions could turn into an uncontrollable fire without a proper extinguisher system. Unfortunately, grease can make its way into your kitchen sprinklers, clogging them and rendering them ineffective in the event of a fire. Cooking with small kitchen appliances outside of the range of the sprinkler system or disconnecting the smoke detectors can also hinder fire prevention.
To keep fires at bay, make sure all smoke detectors are working and that your sprinkler system is free of grease and debris. Even better, if you don’t already have one, consider purchasing a fire extinguisher to keep in your kitchen. Use the test button on your smoke detectors every month and replace the batteries at least once a year.
If a kitchen fire has already damaged your property, don’t despair. Contact the Maven Construction Group for reliable and practical fire restoration services. Need to file a homeowners insurance claim? We can take care of the inspection too!
Locally owned and operated in Gainesville, FL, Maven Construction Group is a licensed general contractor, Angie’s List Certified Contractor, and is accredited and A-rated by the Better Business Bureau. Maven has delivered the best damage restoration and reconstruction services in North Central Florida for more than 15 years.
Certified General Contractor Lic # CGC1519003 Certified Mold Remediation Lic # MRSR2344