Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Well, this was a first.... kitchen fire. (self.Blind)
submitted by codeplaysleep
I was making some flax seed crackers this morning, while my husband was out grocery shopping. I put them in the oven, then went to take the dog out. I came back in just as my teenager was coming out into the kitchen and noticed a lot of black smoke coming from the oven. Turns out, there was a large fire going in there.
While my kid filled a big mixing bowl with water, I went to the electric panel and shut off the main breaker. I couldn't see to quickly find the one just for the stove and... well, fire. Breaker flipped, the kid dumped a couple big bowls of water on the fire and put it out.
Thanks to my lack of peripheral vision, a dish towel had somehow fallen into the oven and I didn't see it.
The stove burners work, but the oven does not. Either the fire damaged it or the water shorted something out, or both. Blah.
The house was full of smoke, but no one was hurt, no damage was done outside of the confines of the oven. It could have been a lot worse. I'm super thankful my kid noticed the smoke and acted quickly.
Sometimes we get so used to our routines that it's easy to get complacent about them. I do things in that kitchen all the time and have never had a fire before, so I undoubtedly got lazy about where we put things around the kitchen and about looking carefully around hot work surfaces.
While my kid filled a big mixing bowl with water, I went to the electric panel and shut off the main breaker. I couldn't see to quickly find the one just for the stove and... well, fire. Breaker flipped, the kid dumped a couple big bowls of water on the fire and put it out.
Thanks to my lack of peripheral vision, a dish towel had somehow fallen into the oven and I didn't see it.
The stove burners work, but the oven does not. Either the fire damaged it or the water shorted something out, or both. Blah.
The house was full of smoke, but no one was hurt, no damage was done outside of the confines of the oven. It could have been a lot worse. I'm super thankful my kid noticed the smoke and acted quickly.
Sometimes we get so used to our routines that it's easy to get complacent about them. I do things in that kitchen all the time and have never had a fire before, so I undoubtedly got lazy about where we put things around the kitchen and about looking carefully around hot work surfaces.
bscross32 10 points 4y ago
Good thing you flipped the power off, because if that fire was electrical in nature, pouring water on it would have exacerbated the situation, that's why they make extinguishers especially for electrical fires. Without the power there, the water is fine.
codeplaysleep [OP] 6 points 4y ago
Yes! That's exactly why I did it. We should probably have an extinguisher on hand.
vwlsmssng 6 points 4y ago
Get a recommendation from an expert. Maybe the local fire service will give you guidance.
What I will say is that water in contact with burning fat or oil will create a fireball that will inflict life changing injuries if they are survivable.
I fitted a fire blanket for someone in their kitchen, telling them to throw over the fire and then get out of the house, or wear it to protect themselves as they get out the house.
The latest advice on extinguishers and fire blankets may have changed so get the latest advice from a local expert.
In the UK the fire service are very happy to help, installing smoke alarms for free for vwlsmssng senior (in his 90s) including a vibrating disc that fits under his pillow while a strobe will flash brightly if any of the smoke alarms in his house go off.
What I will say is that water in contact with burning fat or oil will create a fireball that will inflict life changing injuries if they are survivable.
I fitted a fire blanket for someone in their kitchen, telling them to throw over the fire and then get out of the house, or wear it to protect themselves as they get out the house.
The latest advice on extinguishers and fire blankets may have changed so get the latest advice from a local expert.
In the UK the fire service are very happy to help, installing smoke alarms for free for vwlsmssng senior (in his 90s) including a vibrating disc that fits under his pillow while a strobe will flash brightly if any of the smoke alarms in his house go off.
ctess 4 points 4y ago
In most states it is required by law to have one in your home. Most home insurance policies require you to have one as well. It's better to have one in situations like this than using water. Water can make it worse and can also lead to damage.
You can pick one up from your local hardware store or sometimes even grocery stores carry them.
Glad you weren't hurt though!
You can pick one up from your local hardware store or sometimes even grocery stores carry them.
Glad you weren't hurt though!
phistomefel_smeik 10 points 4y ago
If either you or your kid inhaled a lot of smoke, you might want to get checked out regardless. Glad no one got badly hurt though!
codeplaysleep [OP] 5 points 4y ago
Thanks. We have a pretty open floor plan, so the smoke wasn't that dense, and we got the fire out and the windows opened pretty quickly. We both feel fine, so I think we're good, but yes, definitely paying close attention to how we're feeling/breathing today.
Superfreq2 2 points 4y ago
Yeah turning off the breaker was smart, glad you made sure you knew where it was. This could have happened to anyone sighted as well if they were rushing. If you were inside at the time, you'd have smelled it real fast I'm sure.
Thanks for sharing your story though, helps remind us all to avoid becoming too overconfident; a trap we can all fall into sometimes.
Sorry about your oven though :-(
Thanks for sharing your story though, helps remind us all to avoid becoming too overconfident; a trap we can all fall into sometimes.
Sorry about your oven though :-(
codeplaysleep [OP] 2 points 4y ago
My boss was telling me a story today about a friend of his who managed to drop a BIC lighter into a pan of lasagna she was making (probably fell out of a shirt pocket) and she didn't notice it until the large explosion in her oven.
I feel a little less bad now.
I feel a little less bad now.
bondolo 2 points 4y ago
Glad to hear that you are both safe!
A fire extinguisher is a good thing have on hand. My wife sometimes teaches blindness living skills and cooking. Fire safety and fire extinguisher operation is one of the lessons she always offers. Friends have learned to "donate" their expired fire extinguishers to us for these practice lessons. Playing with fire extinguishers is a lot of fun and it is a good experience to have before you need it in an emergency.
A fire extinguisher is better than water for almost any type of fire and water is very dangerous for some types of fires, grease or electrical especially. Fire extinguisher demos and practice are often available at community disaster readiness fairs. I would encourage anyone to try it if they get the chance.
Your oven may be fine once it dries out. Does turning it on trip the breaker? You may also need a new element as the heat shock of having water tossed on it may have broken it. Luckily this is cheaper than a new oven.
A fire extinguisher is a good thing have on hand. My wife sometimes teaches blindness living skills and cooking. Fire safety and fire extinguisher operation is one of the lessons she always offers. Friends have learned to "donate" their expired fire extinguishers to us for these practice lessons. Playing with fire extinguishers is a lot of fun and it is a good experience to have before you need it in an emergency.
A fire extinguisher is better than water for almost any type of fire and water is very dangerous for some types of fires, grease or electrical especially. Fire extinguisher demos and practice are often available at community disaster readiness fairs. I would encourage anyone to try it if they get the chance.
Your oven may be fine once it dries out. Does turning it on trip the breaker? You may also need a new element as the heat shock of having water tossed on it may have broken it. Luckily this is cheaper than a new oven.
codeplaysleep [OP] 2 points 4y ago
I am happy to report that s of this afternoon, we now have a fire extinguisher! The local hardware store actually had one for people to practice using and showed us how to use it (I'd trained on them before, but it was years ago).
No breakers were tripped, it just didn't work. It's all electric, no gas to deal with. We're going to let it dry out for a few more days and see if it works, or if we need a new heating element, etc.
That said, we're considering just going ahead and replacing it since it's old and we want one that has the controls for the burners on the front. None of us like having to reach over hot burners and pans to adjust the temperature. We've been talking about getting a new one off and on for a year now.
No breakers were tripped, it just didn't work. It's all electric, no gas to deal with. We're going to let it dry out for a few more days and see if it works, or if we need a new heating element, etc.
That said, we're considering just going ahead and replacing it since it's old and we want one that has the controls for the burners on the front. None of us like having to reach over hot burners and pans to adjust the temperature. We've been talking about getting a new one off and on for a year now.
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