When you are cooking and you see smoke, flames, even glowing:

Don’t open the door to the oven/ toaster oven/ microwave because the air will feed the fire. Lifting the lid of a pot will also feed the fire.

This will expose you to smoke/ fire and your hair or hand could be burned very quickly.

If there is a fire:

Activate the fire alarm as you evacuate

Call 100 or 617-253-1212 from a safe location

If the food isn’t on fire, check if you can safely turn off the power.

Cook without burning

• Keep paper/ plastic (bags, boxes, packaging, etc.) away from the stove top burners, toaster ovens, coffee makers & other cooking appliances.

• Do not wear loosing fitting clothing because your sleeve could easily catch on fire.

If your food starts burningon the stove top, in the oven or microwave

• Turn off the burner or unplug the toaster oven/ microwave • Put on a potholder or oven mitt • Slide a lid over the pan and leave the lid on until the pot is cool. • If you lift the lid too soon, the air will feed the flames and the

smoke will set off a smoke detector nearby.

• Don’t open the door to the oven/ toaster oven/ microwave because the air will feed the fire.

• This will help you avoid breathing the smoke and prevent your hair or hand from being burned.

• If you can’t do this without being burned, then evacuate and activate the fire alarm.

If your food starts burning in a toaster oven or microwave:

• Turn off the oven and/ or pull the plug. • Keep the door closed to smother the

fire. If you open the door, the air will feed the flames and the smoke will set off the fire alarm.

• If you can’t do this without being burned, you need to evacuate and activate the fire alarm.

What will spread the fire

• Pouring water on a grease fire in an open pan could spread the burning grease throughout the kitchen

• Throwing a burnt item in the trash will ignite the trash and/or the plastic liner

• Running to the sink will fan the flames and could ignite your hair/ clothes

Cooking Fires

• Every year there are more than 90K cooking fires. This is the #1 cause of home fires.

• The majority of these fires were caused by leaving food cooking unattended!

• Microwaves have caused many fires at universities.

• Many fire alarms are caused by cooking (dorms and academic buildings at MIT)