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Have you ever been in the kitchen cooking and things in your home decide to go insane? The kids could start fighting, a spouse may call for help, or an animal gets itself trapped somewhere in the house? These things may tempt a reasonable person out of the kitchen. But, if you want to keep your family and house safe, turn off the stove before you leave the room. Kitchen fires happen quickly and are the cause for most house fires. Precautions will keep one from happening to you.

Prevention

Prevention is the first step to not being a victim of fire. A few actions beforehand can help prevent fires from destroying your belongings or hurting your family. Here are some suggestions from the mayo clinic:

• Start with knowing where your smoke detectors are located. Check that they are in working order. Be positive that the batteries have been replaced regularly.
• Second make sure that all your wiring and your appliances are up to date and well maintained.
• The stove, oven, and overhead area need to be clean. This ensures that there is not a layer of grease that may catch fire.
• Before you begin cooking check that all extra material and objects are away from the heat source. This includes potholders, food packages, and loose clothing.
• Many methods of cooking are very hands on and require you to be in the room. Like in the example above, you know even short errands can have dire consequences, so make sure you turn off the heat before you leave the room.
• Now when you are preparing a meal that does not need constant supervision, like baking, then you can set an alarm. This prevents any chance of you becoming so distracted you forget that your cooking.

Kitchen Fires

If these steps fail, keep as calm as possible. There are methods to cope with small fires, but if you have doubts, get out of the house, close the door behind you, then call the fire department.

• If a grease fire starts on the stove, never pour water on it as that will cause the fire to spread. Grab a hot pan holder and use it to put a lid on the pan. Turn off the stove. Don’t move the pan or take the lid off until the pan is completely cool.
• The oven or microwave can also catch fire. When this happens simply turn it off, and leave the door closed. If you can reach the microwave cord unplug the unit.

Finally, for any fire you can use a fire extinguisher that is the appropriate grade for the issue. If your kitchen is not equipped with the right kind of extinguisher, or the fire is out of control, get out and call for help. It is known that if you have a stove fire that flour can smother the flames but we highly recommend that you have a fire extinguisher.The fire department is never upset to receive emergency calls of people who need their assistance. Do not be afraid to ask for help.

And if damage has been done, call a professional fire damage restoration company to safely clean up any debris.