Most house fires start in the kitchen, and they can turn deadly in minutes.
Oct. 9 marks Fire Prevention Day and with home fires responsible for 10,600 injuries and 2,630 deaths in the U.S. in 2017, according to the National Fire Protection Association, it’s a good time to think about what you’d do if flames suddenly appeared while you were cooking.
David Hamilton, a fire captain in Nutley, New Jersey, showed TODAY national investigative correspondent Jeff Rossen the right way to react to a kitchen fire.
- Have a fire extinguisher in your home, and know where it is.
- When using a fire extinguisher, remember the acronym PASS: Pull the pin; Aim; Squeeze, and Sweep, from left to right, until the fire is out.
- Never throw water on a grease fire. Water is the worst thing to put on a grease fire; it will spread the fire, not put it out.
- Instead, pour regular baking soda over the whole fire. Use the entire box. And don’t try other baking products like flour; they won’t work.
- Another tip for putting out a grease fire: If you can safely slide the lid of the saucepan over it, that will put out the flames. Fires can’t exist without oxygen.