Each year, approximately 360,000 house fires occur. House fires can result from different factors, whether it be heating equipment, careless smoking, faulty electrical equipment, candles, etc. It turns out that the leading cause of house fires is associated with a daily chore; cooking. According to reports from the NFPA, from 2011 to 2015, U.S. fire departments responded to approximately 466 home cooking fires per day. EyeTemp addresses this major safety issue.
Fires from cooking equipment can result from a variety reasons. Many causes of such fires are as follows:
- Grease fires are one of the biggest causes being that they can spread very easily and very quickly. They usually occur due to built up grease on the oven or stove which, when reaching too high a temperature, can easily ignite. Therefore, it is important to keep these surfaces clean in order to prevent this from happening.
- Another cause of cooking equipment fires is the use of faulty appliances. Some appliances that are too old or damaged can overheat, resulting in a spark which can cause an electrical fire. Whether it is a toaster, microwave, dishwasher, or refrigerator, each of these appliances are potential fire hazards in your home. Therefore, to ensure kitchen safety and prevent potential electrical fires, if you notice any of them not working properly, it is important to unplug them and fix the problem immediately or consider replacement.
- While grease fires and fires from faulty appliances can sometimes be out of our control, one huge cause of kitchen fires that can easily be prevented is that of leaving cooking equipment unattended. Unattended cooking equipment accounts for about one-third of kitchen fires that reportedly occur. It is important to be attentive and alert when cooking. If it is late at night or early in the morning and you are likely to fall asleep or not pay attention, it is probably best to turn off any appliances that are in use. In addition, make sure to stay in the kitchen when using the stove or cooktop, and if you do have to leave the room for even a short amount of time, make sure to turn the appliance off. When the oven is in use, make it a point to check it regularly and use a timer to remind you that the cooking time is complete. It is easy to get distracted or even forget if you left the stove, oven, or any other piece of cooking equipment on.
EyeTemp addresses the possible problems and drastic results that could result from unattended cooking equipment. Please review our site at www.eye-temp.com.
To protect your home and family from the risk of potential cooking equipment fires, make sure to follow the summarized list of kitchen safety tips below:
EyeTemp wishes you happy and safe cooking!
