Kitchen Fires Usually Begin at an Unattended Stove

1/27/2021 (Permalink)

SERVPRO received many calls for house fires that have started at the kitchen stove

SERVPRO has been called several times for kitchen fires that could have been avoided had the source been attended. It is so easy to set a pot on the stove only to leave the kitchen and get sidetracked with yet another distraction. In the blink of an eye your home can be enveloped by fire. You could be displaced from your home, belongs lost, treasured pictures, memories in the form of heirlooms, and daily needed articles damaged, or permanently destroyed. And yes, if we are going to be real here, the ultimate loss would be loss of life.

SERVPRO cares, and to help you avoid a kitchen fire, I have listed below key elements that are fire-related hazards in a kitchen. Happy and safe cooking from all of us at SERVPRO.

Fire-related hazards in a kitchen include:

• Flames, sparks and hot gases from food preparation can ignite residues in exhaust ducts.
• Food preparation equipment left without supervision during operation.
• Failure to switch-off equipment, especially at the end of activity.
• Overheated oils that can lead to spontaneous combustion.
• Food preparation equipment based on solid fuels. 
• Gas blowtorches used for browning some foods.
• Poorly operating thermostats or lack of thermostat or fault-detecting equipment
• Faulty or overheating electrical equipment.
• Metal exhaust flues that conduct heat and ignite nearby material, or debris.
• Ovens without igniters/pilot lights (lit with burning pieces of paper).