What Can I Do In The Event Of A Kitchen Fire?

6/1/2021 (Permalink)

No Fire Can Be Totally Prevented, But There Are Steps You Can Take And SERVPRO Can Handle the Fire Damage if it Happens in Your Home!

Over one-fourth of all fires take place in homes. The majority of these fires happen in the kitchen. Prevention is better than intervention, but if help is needed in your home, call the professionals.

What are the most common causes of house fires?

A house fire is never a pleasant thing. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) notes, cooking is the main cause of fires in the home. But cooking isn’t the only thing that can lead to a residential fire. The top five reasons are:

• Cooking
• Heating
• Electrical & Lighting
• Arson
• Smoking

Kitchen fires are one of the main reasons SERVPRO gets called out to deal with fire damage. 

What Causes Cooking Fires

Kitchen fires resulting from a cooking fire involve a stove or cooktop 62% of the time. Unattended cooking is the main reason for this type of fire, but things like flammable materials too close to the stove are another reason. Electric stoves cause more problems than gas stoves. Improper disposal of hot items is another cause. Thanksgiving and Christmas appear to be the peak time for these incidents to occur.

How Can I Prevent a Kitchen Fire?

One of the foremost essential things you can do is to stay alert. Never walk away from the stove when you have something cooking, turn off the stove if you need to step out. Keep all flammable material away from the range. Many people use their flat surface stoves as additional counter space. That is a big mistake that could cost you dearly. Always assume the stove is hot even when off. Keep your heat at the proper level. If your skillet starts to smoke or your pot boil over, turn off the heat. Keep a cookie sheet handy to place over the top of a pan that does catch fire.

What Happens if There is a Cooking Fire?

If the worse does happen and you undergo a kitchen fire, our Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) accredited technicians are ready to go at a moment’s notice. Once they arrive, they will immediately assess the situation. Kitchen fires are often contained and damage minimal comparatively, but there are still things that need to be determined before fire damage restoration can begin. They will determine the type of smoke residue, pretest materials for the proper cleaning techniques, and decide if there is any structural damage. The goal is to restore items rather than replace them when possible.

Cleanup and Restoration

Once a course of action is decided, the Green Team of professionals get to work. With years of experience and specialized training, they can provide the necessary services for your situation. In the case of fire damage restoration, these could include:

• Debris removal – the stove may be charred and unsalvageable
• Dry cleaning – using techniques such as wiping down surfaces
• Wet cleaning – using professional chemical cleaners specific to the soot and the item getting cleaned
• Restoring wood surfaces
• Cleaning or replacing flooring
• Checking other kitchen appliances for problems arising from the fire
• Deodorizing – air scrubbers, thermal fogging, ozone generators or aroma pellets
• Cleaning HVAC duct systems

Do I Need Expert Restoration?

A minor house fire may look harmless enough and leave you thinking you can take care of it yourself. That isn’t generally the case. Smoke residue seeps into the tiniest cracks and crevices. Depending on the type of soot, it leaves behind improper cleaning can make it worse. SERVPRO uses industrial-grade equipment and cleaning supplies that the average homeowner does not have access too. Our experts know what and where to look for when it comes to fire damage.

Available Around the Clock

SERVPRO is ready to handle any fire damage that may occur, including kitchen fires. We hope that you can prevent a cooking fire, but if something unavoidable happens, we are available 24/7. Disaster doesn’t take a holiday, and neither do we. You can trust our fire restoration technicians to leave your home, “Like it never even happened.” Your life doesn’t stop because a fire happens, and we understand that. Our rapid response team will do everything they can to get you back to normal.

Cooking fires can destroy a kitchen. Contact SERVPRO of Marshfield/Rockland at 781-834-7707 for expert fire damage restoration service that is Faster to Any Size Disaster.