Kitchen fire extinguisher: which type to choose, where to keep it and how to use it

The kitchen is where fire, cooking oil and gas all come together, which also makes it the place where fires are most likely to start in homes and restaurants. Keeping a kitchen fire extinguisher for your gas stove and knowing how to use it helps you put out a small fire at the very start, before it has a chance to spread.

What types of fire usually occur in a kitchen?

• Burning cooking oil and fat in a pan: the most common, usually caused by leaving a pan unattended on the stove.
• Gas fires at the valve, hose or joints when there is a leak.
• Burning solid materials: tea towels, paper and packaging near the stove.
• Electrical appliance fires: rice cookers, microwaves, sockets.

Each type of fire needs suitable equipment — using the wrong one can make the fire bigger.

Common firefighting equipment for the kitchen

Powder fire extinguishers

Common, easy to buy and usable on many types of fire. Drawback: the powder settles all over the kitchen and is hard to clean up. Check the manufacturer’s label to see which types of fire the extinguisher can be used on.

CO2 fire extinguishers

They leave no residue and are suitable for electrical equipment fires. The discharge horn gets extremely cold — hold only the handle. After use in an enclosed room, ventilate it. On a pan of oil, spraying from too close can make the oil splash out.

Fire blankets

A blanket made of fire-resistant material, pulled quickly from a wall-mounted case, very effective on a burning pan of oil or clothing that has caught fire: cover it completely to cut off the oxygen. Easy to use and suitable for any home kitchen.

Extinguishers designed for cooking oil and fat

Restaurant kitchens and industrial kitchens that use a lot of oil may need extinguishers designed specifically for cooking oil and fat, or a dedicated fire suppression system, as advised by a fire safety provider and in line with current regulations. See also gas for industrial kitchens.

Never use water on a burning pan of oil

Burning oil is far hotter than the boiling point of water; water poured in turns to steam instantly, throwing the burning oil out into a large burst of flame. Turn off the stove, cover the pan with a metal lid or a fire blanket, and leave the pan where it is until it has cooled completely. For details, see what to do in a gas fire.

Where should you keep a kitchen fire extinguisher?

• Near the kitchen exit, so you can grab the extinguisher with an escape route behind you.
• Easy to see, easy to reach: wall-mounted or on a shelf, not in a locked cupboard.
• Not right next to the stove: if fire flares up at the stove, you will not be able to reach an extinguisher placed beside the flames.
• Avoid hot or damp places and direct sunlight.

The area where the gas cylinder is kept also needs to be well planned — see where to place a gas cylinder at home, and for restaurants, installing gas cylinders in restaurants.

Checking, storage and practice

• Check the pressure gauge (on extinguishers that have one) regularly: the needle should be in the operating zone shown on the label.
• Check that the safety pin, tamper seal and nozzle are intact, and that the body is not dented or rusty.
• Keep track of the expiry date, and recharge or replace the extinguisher as recommended by the manufacturer.
• Read the instructions printed on the extinguisher carefully; whoever usually does the cooking must know how to use it.
• Restaurants and businesses need to provide firefighting equipment, carry out checks and train staff in fire safety in accordance with current regulations.

Basic operation of a portable extinguisher: pull the pin, aim the nozzle at the base of the fire, squeeze the lever and sweep from side to side. If the fire does not die down, get out and call 114.

Firefighting equipment does not replace prevention

A kitchen fire extinguisher is only a back-up. Reduce the risk from the outset: never leave the stove while frying, keep tea towels and paper away from the stove, clean off grease around the stove, check for gas leaks regularly and consider fitting a gas leak detector.

This preventive approach matters even more at buffets, where several alcohol burners stay lit at once among many guests; our article on using buffet alcohol burners safely covers burner layout, assigning staff to watch them and putting them out after the event.

Frequently asked questions

Written by the VietnhatGas technical and sales team — a batch manufacturer of LPG cylinders. This content is for reference; regulations and standards may change, so please check the current texts.