The kitchen poses many fire hazards due to the high number of electrical appliances and high temperatures. More than 30% of fires reported in 2020 had an electrical cause.¹ One in five domestic fires starts on the hob.²
The greatest danger in kitchens comes from grease fires. A grease fire occurs when cooking fat or oil heats up beyond its burning point and ignites spontaneously. They are particularly dangerous, as people often instinctively extinguish them with water in an emergency. This is a fatal decision, as extinguishing a grease fire with water leads to a highly dangerous grease explosion.
Good to know:
If you extinguish hot fat with water, the water heats up and evaporates abruptly. In this way, more than 1,700 liters of steam are created from 1 liter of water in just a few seconds.
The water vapor explosively tears the burning fat out of the pot or pan and breaks it up into very fine droplets. These droplets ignite themselves, their surroundings and other fat. As a result, a kitchen fire develops within a very short time.
Extinguish grease fire
A grease fire should never be extinguished with water.
In case of burning fat or oil, first cut off the oxygen supply. To do this, the lid can be placed on the pot, pan or deep fryer. Subsequently, the pot or pan should be removed from the stove to cool down and the stove top turned off. If the fire does not go out or has already spread to the kitchen counter, everyone should get to safety and the fire department should be alerted.
Important:
A fire blanket is not suitable for extinguishing a grease fire. As an alternative, grease fire extinguishers are recommended, which are also mandatory in companies.
Dangers in the kitchen
In addition to the cooker, small and large electrical appliances, the oven and the extractor bonnet are among the biggest sources of danger in the kitchen.
In addition to the correct behaviour in the event of a grease fire, there are other fire safety rules to follow in the kitchen to prevent a kitchen fire:
- Electrical appliances must always be switched off.
- Switched-on electrical appliances, such as toasters or microwaves, must be placed on a non-flammable surface
- Replace extractor bonnet filters regularly to prevent grease residues from catching fire.
- Do not use the hob or the surrounding area as a storage surface.
- Never leave a cooker that is switched on unattended.
Important: A switched-on hob can ignite a shopping bag, cookery book or chopping board in just a few minutes and cause a kitchen fire.
Do you still have questions about "Extinguishing grease fires" and "Fire protection in the kitchen"?
¹Institut für Schadenverhütung und Schadenforschung der öffentlichen Versicherer e.V (2021): Ursachenstatistik, Brandschäden 2020; https://www.ifs-ev.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/brandursachenstatistik_2020_seite.pdf
²Institut für Schadenverhütung und Schadenforschung der öffentlichen Versicherer e.V (2020): Der Herd ist keine Ablagefläche; https://www.ifs-ev.org/der-herd-ist-keine-ablageflaeche/