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Speaker 1:

So many people will spend a lot of time in the kitchen this week preparing for Thanksgiving, but if you’re not careful, this could happen. Your home could be damaged by fire. Tonight, how to prevent these fast moving fires, and what you can have to help fight one next.

Speaker 1:

The number one cause of house fires, not candles, or smoking, or heaters, it’s cooking like this, because a lot of us will be spending extra time in the kitchen this week, we wanted to show you in a very dramatic way how dangerous a grease fire can be if you don’t know what to do. Tonight, consumer reporter, Marilyn Moritz shows us just how quickly the wrong reaction can turn tragic.

Marilyn Moritz:

Imagine this is your kitchen, you’re cooking dinner and you have a fire.

Ben Marberry:

That’s probably one of the highest percentages of cause of fires in the city of San Antonio.

Marilyn Moritz:

In this demonstration by the St. Paul Fire Department, a pot of cooking oil has gotten so hot, it ignited. If your instinct is to put water on the fire.

Ben Marberry:

Not a good idea.

Marilyn Moritz:

In fact, it’s the worst idea. Watch as this firefighter uses at 12 foot pole to pour a cup of water on that burning pot of oil. Instantly a monster fireball splashes up the walls across the ceiling.

Ben Marberry:

The water turns to steam when it hits the heat. Even a cup of water is 1700 cups of steam.

Marilyn Moritz:

Watch it again. Anyone nearby would be in danger.

Ben Marberry:

Certainly there clothes are apt to catch fire, or their possibility of getting severely burned.

Marilyn Moritz:

Now what should you do? It’s very simple.

Ben Marberry:

Put a cover on it.

Marilyn Moritz:

If the lid isn’t nearby, San Antonio fire departments Ben Marberry shows us a cookie sheet will do.

Ben Marberry:

Slide it from the side, wear oven mitts to keep from burning yourself, and then just slide it into place, turn the heat off, let it sit.

Marilyn Moritz:

Another option is this product called the StoveTop FireStop made by a Fort Worth company. Magnets attach it under your vent hood, if you have a fire, when the flames hit the fuse it drops a powder that puts the fire out. Bottom line when it comes to fire, oil and water do not mix. Marilyn Moritz KSAT 12 News.

Speaker 1:

That product again, is called the StoveTop FireStop. Hear that magnet on top? You could buy one by going to the commercial desk at Lowe’s. Now this type we showed you for a vent hood, it’s a StoveTop FireStop vent hood is $50, those that attach to a microwave are $75.