by Erin Johnson
Thisweek Newspapers

The Eagan Fire Department has seen a record number of kitchen fires this year and wants to remind residents to take safety precautions when cooking this holiday season.

"The trend is alarming, especially since these fires are so preventable," said Eagan Fire Chief Mike Scott.

So far this year, Eagan has had seven serious kitchen fires, the majority of which caused significant damage, Scott said.

"It's unusual for us to see this many kitchen fires in this short of a time," he said. "It's kind of ironic because this year's Fire Prevention Week theme was how to prevent kitchen fires."

Most of the fires began when cooking was left unattended.

The one that caused the most damage began when an occupant of the home turned on a deep fryer to make french fries and then went into another room to use a computer. The home was uninhabitable for three months while the kitchen was rebuilt.

In another case, the occupant left grease unattended while it was heating up and then fell asleep while watching TV.

"People are walking away from their stoves and ovens even for short periods of time," Scott said. "Where oil, fat or grease is involved, these can ignite fires."

Grease can heat up to the point that it ignites, he said. It also tends to splatter on walls and cupboards, which causes it to act as an accelerant when a fire erupts.

The message when cooking is "Stay there, stay aware," he said.

Fire extinguishers are the best bet for putting out grease fires, yet most of the homes that had kitchen fires this year did not have fire extinguishers. Some homeowners who did have fire extinguishers couldn't remember where they were when the fire broke out, Scott said.

Fire extinguishers should be ABC-rated, which makes them suitable for kitchen fires, and they should be within easy reach of kitchen occupants.

"If you're going to have one extinguisher, that's the place to have it -- the kitchen," he said.

A fire extinguisher is the best investment a homeowner can make, said Fire Inspector Chris Grubb.

"We've seen kitchen fires in Eagan cause as much as $56,000 in damages, displacing a family for three months," he said. "All of that could have been avoided with a simple $20 to $75 purchase of a fire extinguisher."

Never try to extinguish grease fires with water, which can just make the fire worse. Small cooking fires can be extinguished by covering the pan with a metal lid or smothering it with baking soda.

The Eagan Fire Department recommends using lids on pots and pans to limit grease splattering while cooking, as well as making sure all the dials on the oven or stove are off after cooking.

Smoke detectors should also be installed and operating properly to detect fires before they get out of control, and batteries should be changed at least once a year.

Erin Johnson is at eagan.thisweek@ecm-inc.com.