Stove Fire
Breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day. For typical Filipinos, waking up early in the morning to prepare food is a daily routine before heading to work. Cooking can be done in a variety of ways such as using wood or charcoal, gas stove and electric range.
It is highly noticeable that such fuels encompass all three classes of fire. Class B fires, which involve flammable liquids such as liquid petroleum gas (LPG), is quite common in home kitchen fires. This is so, since using LPG has been the most practical (e.g. chopping wood) and economical (e.g. expensive electricity cost) despite a price increase forecast of five peso (Php 5.00) per liter this July.
Fire is truly man’s bestfriend when it comes to having good tasting meals. But it can also be man’s greatest enemy once an uncontrolled fire sets in. A certain Arturo from Barangay Santo Domingo in Quezon City claimed that his stove suddenly went into flames while preparing breakfast before six in the morning. At least 25 nearby houses were also affected which displaced around 50 families. No one was reported injured and firemen were able to put off the said fire in less than hour.
Here are some tips on how to put out a stove fire:
- for small grease fires, simply cover the pan to smother the flames
- never use water for this will only spread the fire further; use baking soda instead or better yet a fire extinguisher
- leave the premises at once and call the local fire department if you think you can no longer handle the situation