How To Put Out A Grease Fire: Kitchen Safety Basics

How Does a Grease Fire Start?

When cooking oils are heated past their smoke point, they run the risk of igniting. This can be especially risky, since putting out a grease fire is not as simple as extinguishing other fires. If oil ignites, the fire may spread -- especially if the fire is not dealt with properly.

A grease fire is entirely preventable. Start by making sure your deep fryers are operating with an oil that has a sufficiently high smoke point.

Why Are Grease Fires So Dangerous?

In a commercial kitchen, the threat of a grease fire spreading may be more prevalent than you think.​

Though commercial machinery, like an oven or a deep fryer, don’t seem to have many flammable components, the majority of the risk lies in the presence of grease or oils on the surface of appliances.

In a busy kitchen, the buildup of grease and food residue on surfaces presents an almost invisible fire hazard. These materials can easily catch fire, leading to a cascade of flames spreading all throughout a kitchen.

Grease fires are additionally dangerous due to their resistance to water. If water is poured or sprayed on a grease fire, the water won’t extinguish the fire, but will vaporize instead, taking the oil with it. Once the oil becomes airborne, the fire’s odds of spreading uncontrollably rise significantly. Oftentimes, the water will cause the burning oil to explode violently, throwing burning droplets everywhere. This means that typical kitchen safety components, like overhead water sprinklers, might worsen the fire rather than extinguish it.

Stopping a Grease Fire

Things to Do:

First and foremost is to smother the flames with a wet towel, fire blanket or large pan. This step prevents the fire from spreading, and mitigates its potency by decreasing oxygen levels fueling the flames.​

Next, turn the heat source off. After the fire has cooled enough to safely stand near, cutting off the fire’s heat source removes another third of the flames’ required materials.

After turning off the heat source, the next step is to pour baking soda or salt onto the fire. Baking soda and salt both absorb grease, reducing the amount of available fuel the fire has to burn. It also further reduces the oxygen intake of the fire. This step should only be performed if the fire is small enough to interact with safely.

If the fire is still burning uncontrollably after the second step, use an appropriate fire extinguisher. Wet chemical fire extinguishers, also known as class F extinguishers, can extinguish grease fires.

If these steps don’t quickly put the fire out, call 911 immediately. Grease fires are a significant kitchen hazard, and you should never try to deal with an out-of-control kitchen fire on your own.