The grease fire mistake
You're frying samosas or luqaimat and the oil catches fire. Most people's first instinct makes it much worse. What's yours? Guess, then try it in a safe virtual kitchen.
Why each move works, or doesn't
A pan fire has three things feeding it: very hot oil, air, and heat from the stove. Safe moves take away the air and the heat. Unsafe ones spread the burning oil.
Water sinks under the oil, turns to steam in an instant and throws burning oil into the air. That's the fireball.
Burning oil sloshes onto you, the counter and the floor. And the sink means water.
Flour is a fine powder that burns. A cloud of it over flames can flash into fire.
It feeds the fire more air and pushes flames toward you.
A metal lid (or a baking tray) slid over the pan cuts off the air. Turn off the heat. Leave it covered until the pan is cool.
Pull the tabs, shield your hands with the top edge, lay it over the pan, turn off the heat, and leave it there.
A wet chemical (Class F) extinguisher is made for cooking oil. Use it only on a small fire, if you know how, with a clear way out. Never a water extinguisher.
Stop it before it starts
Unattended cooking is the leading cause of kitchen fires. If you need to leave the kitchen, even for a minute, turn the heat off.
Put the pan's lid on the counter next to the stove before you start. Hang a fire blanket on the kitchen wall, away from the stove.
Fill a deep pan no more than a third full. Pat food dry before frying so it doesn't spit. If the oil starts to smoke, it's too hot: turn the heat off.
Point pan handles away from the edge so nobody, especially a child, can knock the pan over. Keep children away from the stove while you fry.
If the fire is spreading
- Get everyone out.
- Close the kitchen door behind you to slow the fire.
- Call Civil Defence on 997 from outside. Don't go back in.
If someone is burned, cool the burn under cool running water for 20 minutes and call 998 for an ambulance. This is not medical advice: a certified first-aid course teaches you properly.
Sources: NFPA (US National Fire Protection Association) cooking fire safety tips (unattended cooking is the leading cause of cooking fires; smother a small grease fire with a lid and turn off the burner; when in doubt, get out and close the door); London Fire Brigade and UK fire and rescue services chip pan safety advice (never throw water on a chip pan fire, don't move the pan, fill oil no more than one third); UAE Civil Defence home fire safety tips (keep a fire blanket and extinguisher at home, call 997); British Red Cross burns first aid (cool with running water for 20 minutes). The kitchen is a simplified illustration. Please don't try any of this with real fire.