Why do ovens catch fire

I mean, they occasionally uses it when company comes over but the majority of the time, they use either the microwave or the toaster oven for cooking their meals. But, like most any electrical appliance, toaster ovens can catch on fire so caution is recommended.

Here are some tips on toaster oven safety for seniors. Every homeowner should know how to put out kitchen fires, whether they are on the stove or in the oven.

She specialized in rehabilitation for the adult population. Her expertise in home assessments and home safety issues for seniors will help you to make the best possible decisions for your elderly parent or senior that you are caring for. Para espanol. View all post by Esther Kane Website. Esther Kane Kitchen. Unattended cooking accounts for 33 percent of home fires, according to the Fire Department of New York. The most important thing to remember if a fire breaks out in the oven is to keep the door closed , turn off the oven, and keep an eye on the flame.

This will keep the fire contained TBT to high school chemistry class, where we learned that fire needs oxygen to grow , and it should die down in a few moments. Once the fire is out, open all of your windows, and open the oven door to let all of the smoke out. If the fire does not go out, becomes too big to contain, or grows beyond the oven, exit your home immediately and call By Arielle Weg Updated July 12, Save Pin FB More.

Step 1 may seem counter-intuitive, but opening the door will only cause the fire to expand. Open the oven door only when you are sure the fire is out. Call us anytime at ! But when a microwave sparks or smolders, it seems to inspire a deeper sense of dread and apprehension. Actually, microwaves are among the safest cooking appliances you can own. Food-based fires in a microwave almost always happen because someone overestimated or mis-entered the cook time. An extra three minutes can be the difference between a nicely baked potato and a charred, smoky mess.

Blasting a Lean Cuisine that you think is frozen but is actually closer to room temp could cause problems, too. Another culprit can be packaging that gets stuck near the wave emitter on the side of the machine—like a big bag of popcorn that gets wedged against the walls of a small oven as the kernels expand.