I read a question someone asked. He asked if a grill could catch on fire. That made me realize that we all take some kind of risk using a grill.
Especially with propane grills, there is more risk than with a charcoal or pellet grill.
However, also a pellet grill can catch on fire.
Reason for me to write about a fire extinguisher for the grill.
Stats on Home Grill Fires
Fire departments get called out to grills that caught fire in more cases than we think.
I did a little research and found that on average there are 10 deaths, 100 injuries, and $37 million in property loss every year.
That is information from the National Fire Protection website and you can read it here.
General Safety Tips For Grills
We all know that we have to be careful but we also forget it many times. Here are some tips to use your grill safely and prevent a first.
- Never use a faulty grill
- Set it on a flat surface
- Keep it away from your home or other buildings
- Keep children and pets away
- Don’t move your grill until completely cooled down
These are just a few general tips; in your situation, you might have to take other actions to make it safe to use your grill.
Fire Extinguishers For The Grills
Besides these tips, it is a good idea to have at least a bucket of water available.
It is even better of course to have a fire extinguisher close to your grill area. That will work better on a gas grill than using a bucket of water.
Grease fires should never be extinguished with water.
A fire extinguisher can be bought for around $20 and if you realize how much damage a grill fire can cause, this is a small investment to prevent our house from burning.
I found this one on Amazon for sale for $20.38 and have it in my kitchen, but I am thinking about buying a second one for my grill area.
Videos Of What Can Go Wrong
I found a video of people who had their grill caught on fire and showed some tips on how NOT to do certain things.
In case it does happen I also found a video on how to extinguish a fire on a gill that caught on fire.
How To Extinguish A Fire On A Grill
This way of extinguishing a grill fire can be used for charcoal, gas, pellet grills, and other types of outdoor grills.
HowTo Clean Fire Extinguisher Residue From Grill
Let’s hope you never have to do this but here are some tips I found on how to clean your grill after a fire.
- Let the grill cool all the way
- Scrape off all the grease and dried debris
- Scrub inside and outside with water and vinegar.
- Let it dry and season your grill as if it were new.
For this scrubbing, you need to use a mixture of 50/50 water and vinegar. The acidity of the vinegar will remove the sodium bicarbonate that is most of the time used in fire extinguishers
As you can see a fire on a grill can happen pretty easily even when you follow all the precaution steps I wrote about above.
A fire extinguisher is very affordable and it is always safe to have one in your home around the kitchen area.
Just take it outside with you when you fire up the grill.
Eddie van Aken
Eddie van Aken brings years of experience from running a full-service restaurant, where he honed his skills with all types of kitchen equipment. His expertise extends to mastering the art of outdoor cooking, utilizing the right recipes to enhance flavors on grills and smokers. Eddie’s in-depth knowledge allows him to provide comprehensive grill reviews and valuable outdoor cooking tips, helping enthusiasts make the most of their grilling adventures. You can read more on the About page for Eddie van Aken