This is going to be more of a life pro tip, but trying to reach the largest audience here.
Just had a frantic neighbour knocking at my door saying there is a fire in her oven.
I was over there in under 60 seconds with the fire extinguisher. There was a pot of oil on fire wedged between the element and the rack. No way to quickly and safely remove it, so I blasted it.
If I had tried to remove the pan, it’s likely it would have ended up spilling burning oil everywhere and making the situation much worse. Now they just have a house full of dust to clean.
Will replace our extinguisher today and am considering buying a few more to gift this Christmas.
I have one rated for grease fires in the kitchen and one rated for Magic Computer Smoke next to the electronics.
(I live in a small apartment, so two is probably already overkill).
Also, second pro-tip from a Firefighter friend: Regularly pick up your Fire Extinguisher and flip it upside down and tap the bottom like you’re trying to get ketchup out of a glass bottle. Often the “dust” inside the extinguisher can settle for too long and when you go to use it… nothing comes out because it is all compacted on the bottom of the Extinguisher. So occasionally making sure everything is loose and ready to go is key. He suggested to me every few months to do it.
Also, remember all the stuff that kills small fires: salt, baking soda, a wet rag, a sponge, a bigger pot blocking the oxygen. Many people freak out for a minute while the fire grows out of control.
Assess the situation, but a good plan now is better than a perfect plan in a minute. No don’t pour water on oil or electric fires. Use the baking soda, salt, or pot holder that’s right next to the stove.
Solid suggestions!
I don’t know why it gave me a memory of the server room at a building I worked at. If there was a fire, you had to leave the room immediately because the main fire suppression device was something that pumped all the oxygen out of the room, depriving the fire of the oxygen that allows it to burn.
Meaning, if you hung around in that room after the fire alarm went off, you’d have a good chance of getting stuck in there and dying of asphyxiation.
Good ol’ halon systems!
LOL, my buddy back in 2000 named his system “Nuclear Halon” for just that reason.
The Big Red Button behind the plexiglass flip door.
Not flour, though! A friend once had food in a pot on the stove catch fire, and she knew about putting salt or baking soda on oily fires, but in haste, grabbed the flour, instead. On the bright side, the resulting explosion did put the fire out by consuming the oxygen, but it cracked the kitchen window.
For a fire in a pot or pan, having a well-fitting lid ready, and sliding it on, is most effective. Make it a habit as you get out the pan to get out a lid that completely covers it, and put it within reach.
Edit to add: I have a fire extinguisher on the kitchen wall as well, because sometimes the fire isn’t contained/containable. When I replaced my old unused one, I took it outside and practiced with it until it was empty, which was fun and educational.
Good tip!
Is this why my old extinguisher at camp just spits white dust?!
Tested it the other day, because why not? It’s there because it’s old, and the place is literally a swamp, nothing going to burn down.
Lol, white dust is what a dry powder extinguisher is meant to spit out. Ths issue is that if the powder becomes too compacted, it won’t come out. Look up a video of a dry powder extinguisher in use to see if it’s working like it should.
However, they are more-or-less single use. If you’ve used it, even partially, you should really get it recharged or replaced.
So anyway, you started blasting.
Also “on hand” means easily accessible in case of a panicked emergency. Not buried behind the bikes in the garage. Not stowed in a drawer because “it didn’t match the decor.”
And replace them regularly even if you never use them. The only thing worse than not having a fire extinguisher is thinking you do have one and finding out it doesn’t work at a critical moment.
Yes. I rent and my state requires that my landlord have so many based on the number of rooms and square footage.
Glad it worked out for you. For future reference, there are additional steps for grease/oil fires in the kitchen:
Turn off stove
Cover with lid
Then smother with the extinguisher, or baking soda or salt if you don’t have an extinguisher handy. Never water.
The first two steps cutoff energy and oxygen, and will minimize the splatter that the extinguisher causes.
Unfortunately, there was no way to get to the pot, for some reason it was wedged between the rack and the element, so no chance of covering it
By law, apartments like mine should have one, so I guess there may be one somewhere. If there would actually be a fire, I wouldn’t know where to look though
Figure out where it is ASAP or get one for yourself.
In every room, I have either a fire extinguisher or a bucket of sand. I am biased in favor of the sand though.
Don’t learn the hard way that fire extinguishers have expiration dates. Don’t be like me.
If you store extinguisher where fire goes you might not be able to get when fire. Careful.
Got one per floor. One of the first things we did when we bought a hoose was test all of the fire alarms and buy fire extinguishers.
Good thing we did too as two of the fire alarms did not work.
Hoose’s are overrated.
Ur they aye
No, I have four!
I’ve never actually had a fire extinguisher before, I should buy one.
Yes. A large one wall mounted in a central location. A small one and a fire blanket in the kitchen.
Removed by mod
I have one in the kitchen, garage and utility (furnace) room. 2 were given to me by my insurance agent! The 3rd one I bought for my garage because, duh!
Nice! Hopefully you never use them, but just like an iguana it’s better to have them and not need them.
That reminds me to shake my iguana
Make sure you cork it first!
I have one in my car because it’s required by law (Belgium). I don’t have one in my house and I don’t know anyone who does.
I do have multiple smoke detectors and carbonmonoxide detectors. The smoke detectors are required by law but there are still people who don’t have them. Last night a family of 6 died in a fire and they apparently didn’t have smoke detectors.I’ve been working from home for a while and the amount of people on conference calls who have dying smoke detectors that beep every other minute is too damn high.
I have three. Thanks for spreading awareness. Everyone needs a few around the house.
