3 ms·

Almost all aerosol cans use a flammable gas (they are cheap, have a high expansion ratio, and are low pressure liquids). Flour, sugar and other powders found in

Almost all aerosol cans use a flammable gas (they are cheap, have a high expansion ratio, and are low pressure liquids). Flour, sugar and other powders found in the kitchen can actually be explosive if they are mixed with air correctly (eg: when tossed onto a flame). Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is probably the only improvised item in the kitchen that you should use to put out fires. A kitchen should have a fire extinguisher that is BC or ABC that would be best for the first attempt at putting out the fire. Even though water is not ideal, if you have a large source of it (eg: Pool, lake, firehose, etc), it will be your best option as it can cool faster than a small battery can generate heat. A garden hose or bathtub faucet might be able to supply enough water if the battery is relatively small.

jcrawfordor 6y ago
Really, a kitchen should also have a type K fire extinguisher which isolates burning oil from air to prevent reignition (burning oil extinguished with an ABC dry chemical fire extinguisher is likely to reignite on its own). Unfortunately they seem rare in home kitchens, likely just due to a lack of awareness as they really aren't that expensive at the home improvement store. Glass fiber blankets are also a good choice for kitchen fires but once again not very common in homes.
- Someone 6y ago
  Fire extinguishers require regular inspections/refills that, I fear, many home users won’t do. Because of that, I think the blanket, combined with a fire alarm (also requires inspections/maintenance, but will annoy you so much that you will replace the battery regularly) is the best option for kitchens.
  - donw 6y ago
    > Fire extinguishers require regular inspections/refills that, I fear, many home users won’t do. One of my habits is to put inspection dates for things like fire extinguishers, fire alarm batteries, emergency water, etc. into my calendar. It's basically a quick check every quarter, with a full-on inspection during spring cleaning. Doesn't take much time, and gives me a lot of peace-of-mind that my emergency stuff is actually going to work when I need it. On that note, something that I also don't see people doing, is making sure they know how to use their equipment for its intended task. I made it a point to try an extinguisher on a tiny fire in a safe setting, just to make sure I understood how it worked. Ditto for always taking the stairs down whenever I leave a new hotel room. I get a little more exercise, and if there's a fire, I've already "escaped" once. Pro tip: do not attempt to apply this advice while flying. They don't even let you keep the slide!

jcrawfordor 6y ago

Really, a kitchen should also have a type K fire extinguisher which isolates burning oil from air to prevent reignition (burning oil extinguished with an ABC dry chemical fire extinguisher is likely to reignite on its own). Unfortunately they seem rare in home kitchens, likely just due to a lack of awareness as they really aren't that expensive at the home improvement store. Glass fiber blankets are also a good choice for kitchen fires but once again not very common in homes.

Someone 6y ago
Fire extinguishers require regular inspections/refills that, I fear, many home users won’t do. Because of that, I think the blanket, combined with a fire alarm (also requires inspections/maintenance, but will annoy you so much that you will replace the battery regularly) is the best option for kitchens.
- donw 6y ago
  > Fire extinguishers require regular inspections/refills that, I fear, many home users won’t do. One of my habits is to put inspection dates for things like fire extinguishers, fire alarm batteries, emergency water, etc. into my calendar. It's basically a quick check every quarter, with a full-on inspection during spring cleaning. Doesn't take much time, and gives me a lot of peace-of-mind that my emergency stuff is actually going to work when I need it. On that note, something that I also don't see people doing, is making sure they know how to use their equipment for its intended task. I made it a point to try an extinguisher on a tiny fire in a safe setting, just to make sure I understood how it worked. Ditto for always taking the stairs down whenever I leave a new hotel room. I get a little more exercise, and if there's a fire, I've already "escaped" once. Pro tip: do not attempt to apply this advice while flying. They don't even let you keep the slide!