FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 25, 2000

CARY, NC – Out of the 44 structural fire calls in Cary in the first half of 2000, 17, or almost 40 percent, were kitchen fires. In three of these cases, residents sustained severe burns when they tried to run outside with pans of burning grease. Cooking fires most commonly result from unattended cooking and human error rather than mechanical failure of stoves or ovens.

"We want citizens to be aware of the danger of kitchen fires and take steps to make sure that their families are safe," said Kathy Ellis, Public Educator in the Cary Fire Department. In the United States cooking is the leading cause of home fires with 29% starting in the kitchen. It is also the leading cause of fire injuries.

The Fire Department offers the following tips for kitchen fire safety:

• Never leave cooking unattended.
• If heating oil or grease, use moderate, not high, heat and don’t leave it for a second.
• Wear tight-fitting sleeves or roll them up when cooking.
• Keep children and pets at least three feet away from the stove.
• Have a large lid handy to smother a fire if a pan of grease ignites. The lid should be left in place until the pan has cooled completely. If for some reason a lid is not available; baking soda can possibly be used as another method of extinguishment.
• Never use a fire extinguisher on grease fires since the grease may splatter and the fire can spread.
• Never use flour to put out a fire; it’s flammable.
• Don’t install smoke detectors directly in the kitchen; they’ll malfunction too often.

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