Department of Public Safety

Refresher Course - Kitchen Fire

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February 1, 2012 | 2 min reading time

This article is 14 years old. It was published on February 1, 2012.

Read this BEFORE you watch the video

At the Fire Fighting Training school, they would demonstrate this with a deep fat fryer set on the fire field.  An instructor would don a fire suit and using an 8-oz. cup at the end of a 10-foot pole to toss water onto the grease fire.

The results got the attention of the students.  The water, being heavier than oil, sinks to the bottom where it instantly becomes superheated.  The explosive force of the steam blows the burning oil up and out.  On the open field, it became a 30-foot high fireball that resembled a nuclear blast.

Inside the confines of a kitchen, the fire ball hits the ceiling and fills the entire room.  Also, do not throw sugar or flour on a great fire.  One cup of either creates the explosive force of two sticks of dynamite.

Note:  When you watch the video, the key here is to use a towel that is not dripping wet...wring it out first.

Follow this link to watch the video.

Department of Public Safety

City of St. Louis

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