First-Year Students Learn Kitchen Fire Safety

When water is tossed on grease fire, it expands 1,700 times its original size, causing a massive fireball and an explosion. That split second left a lesson that would remain with many Monday.

The Bemidji Fire Department brought a portable kitchen to Bemidji State University to demonstrate to first-year students what exactly not to do when a grease-fire breaks out – never use water.

Instead, turn off the burner, and cover the pan with a lid to extinguish the flames. Never leave the stove unattended, set a timer if needed and ensure fire alarms are working. Fire stop, a safety device fire officials showcased, was the highlight for many students.

Cooking fires are the number one cause of structure fires in the country, state and city. In Minnesota, fire department officers respond to a structure fire every 37 minutes.

In 2015, Minnesota fire officials responded to around 6,000 structure fires, 44-percent of those fires are related to unattended cooking.