If the pan is still burning, slide a lid over it and turn off the burner, then leave the lid on until the pan cools. That's the CPSC's guidance for a grease or oil fire, along with two firm rules: never carry the pan outside, and never use water or flour on a cooking fire (CPSC).
Do this first
- Cover the pan with a lid or a baking sheet. The U.S. Fire Administration notes that covering the pan will put out the fire (USFA).
- Turn off the burner. On a gas range, turn the knob to off. On an electric range, also remember that the coil or glass stays hot for a while.
- Keep water away from it. Water thrown on burning grease can splatter the oil and spread the fire.
- Use an extinguisher only as a backup, and only the right kind. If you can't cover the pan and the fire is still small and contained to it, an extinguisher rated for grease is the next option. The USFA lists Class B for flammable liquids such as grease and oil, and Class K for cooking oils and fats in cooking appliances, a type mostly found in commercial kitchens. The A-B-C and B-C extinguishers that home improvement stores usually carry include Class B (USFA). Use one only with a clear way out behind you.
- If the fire spreads beyond the pan, or you can't get close, leave and call 911. Close the kitchen door behind you if there is one.
- Leave the lid on. Lifting it to check can let air in and reignite the grease.
In the next few hours
- Let everything cool fully before cleaning. Grease can stay hot enough to burn skin for a long time.
- Ventilate. Open windows and use a portable fan. Hold off on the range hood fan if flames or heavy smoke reached it.
- Inspect the range hood. Grease-soaked filters that were in the smoke or flames should be cleaned or replaced, and a scorched hood interior or melted light lens needs a closer look.
- Check the knobs and control panel. Melted or warped knobs, a discolored control panel, or a touch panel that no longer responds mean heat reached the controls.
- For gas ranges, check the burner and smell for gas. Clean grease off the burner cap and ports once cool. If you smell gas, leave the house and call 911 and Atmos Energy from outside. If the burner won't relight normally, leave it off until it's checked.
- For glass cooktops, look for cracks, chips or pitting where the pan sat once the surface is cool.
- Clean the area around the stove: the backsplash, the cabinet undersides and the wall above. Soot and grease film can hide damage.
Before the technician arrives
Note:
- The model and serial number. Open the oven door or pull out the storage drawer and look along the frame, where most ranges carry the label. On cooktops, it's often under the unit or on a card in the cabinet below.
- Which burner was involved and how long the fire lasted.
- What you see: melted knobs, a cracked glass top, a burner that won't light or lights unevenly, a hood fan or light that stopped working.
- Whether a breaker tripped during or after the fire.
- Photos of the range, hood and nearby cabinets.
What not to do:
- Don't use water to fight a grease fire.
- Don't carry the burning pan to the sink or outside.
- Don't cook on a burner whose knob or valve was damaged by heat.
- Don't keep using a range hood whose wiring or fan was exposed to flames until it has been checked.
How to keep it from happening again
- Stay in the kitchen when frying. The USFA says to stand by your pan and turn the burner off if you leave.
- Keep a lid or baking sheet within reach whenever you cook with oil.
- Heat oil gradually and turn the burner down at the first sign of smoke. The USFA says to turn the burner off if you see smoke or the grease starts to boil.
- Clean hood filters and the stovetop regularly so built-up grease doesn't feed a fire.
- Keep towels, oven mitts and packaging away from the burners.
A fire inside the microwave calls for different steps. See what to do when there's a fire in your microwave. For burner, valve and control repairs after a fire, see our range service page.
Sources
- CPSC: Recipe for Safer Cooking
- U.S. Fire Administration: Cooking Fire Safety
- U.S. Fire Administration: Choosing and Using Fire Extinguishers
Keep in mind: Once a grease fire is out, the fire itself is over, but heat-damaged knobs, valves and wiring can cause trouble later, so have them checked.
Call ProFix Dallas at (469) 886-1122 to have the range and hood checked after a fire.