In Langenfeld (D), a man set fire to an apartment building on Sunday and had to be flown to a special clinic with severe burns. The reason: he wanted to extinguish a burning Christmas fondue with water. A fatal mistake – there was a grease explosion.
The grease for the planned fondue caught fire in the kitchen. The man tried to extinguish the fire with water. The oil exploded and the kitchen caught fire. As “Focus” writes, the apartment was destroyed.
Firefighters arrived on scene to extinguish the fire before it spread to other homes. She warns the population against putting out grease fires and fondues with water.
Fat burns are typical around Christmas time
According to the “Berliner Morgenpost”, there are twice as many fires in December as in other months. Because many Christmas dishes are prepared with hot fat.
Fat burns at 300 degrees Celsius and is therefore extremely hot. In order for the kitchen to last even after a grease fire, under no circumstances should you pour water into the fire, as this will spread the fire and cause an explosion.
The reason: Water has a lower density than oil and therefore sinks directly under the burning oil layer to the bottom of the pan. But since this is hot, the water boils away. Water vapor forms, which pushes the burning oil upwards and causes an explosion.
Not every fire extinguisher is suitable
The fire extinguisher is also an absolute no-go if the fondue is on fire. Unless it’s a special grease fire extinguisher. Instead, you can contain the fire by smothering it. For example with a fire blanket. But watch out! In the event of a large grease fire, the fire blanket can also catch fire.
A burning pan can also be extinguished with a suitable lid. It is important that the fire is deprived of oxygen. (jwg)