4 Tips To Avoid Fires While Grilling

7/30/2022 (Permalink)

Stay Safe When Using Your Grill

Most people in Loveland, CO, enjoy getting together for a cookout: It’s hard to beat the smell of meat cooking on the grill. Nothing ruins a backyard barbeque faster than a grill fire. These four tips will help you stay safe when using your grill.

1. Use Proper Grill Placement
Only use gas or charcoal grills outdoors, never in the garage, in an enclosed patio, or under a cloth awning. Place the grill at least four feet away from the house, fence, and other structures. Check for any low-hanging tree limbs or branches overhead. Be sure the grill is level and stable.

2. Watch for Flare-Ups
Keeping a close eye on the grill while food is cooking is important to make sure you don’t ruin your food, but it can also help you prevent a barbeque fire. Flare-ups can get out of hand quickly, and an unattended grill is a tempting target for children and pets.

3. Keep Your Grill Clean
Cooking on a dirty grill increases your risk of a grill fire. The fat and grease in your grill’s drip tray or grease cup can easily ignite. This kind of grease fire is notoriously difficult to put out and can cause serious smoke damage to your house and surrounding areas. After cooking, wait for the grill to cool, and then clean the grates and drip the pan.

4. Be Prepared
Fire safety experts report that most people who cook on a grill do not keep anything nearby to extinguish potential grill-related fires. Always keep some baking soda on hand to smother a grease fire and have a fire extinguisher nearby that you can access quickly if necessary. Never use water on a grease fire!
A grill fire can ruin more than your cookout. Smoke damage to your home could require lengthy fire restoration work. Worse, grill-related fires can easily become structure fires. Follow these tips to stay safe when using your grill.