It only takes half a minute for a small flame to turn into a full-blown life-threatening fire. Learn how you can best protect your home, your loved ones, and your own life
Our house fire example starts on the stovetop since cooking fires account for almost half (44 percent) of all home fires. A few seconds is all it takes for a pot or pan to boil over the rim, spilling flammable oil-laden contents directly onto the cooking flame or red hot electric burner. In a few hundredths of a second grease or other fatty substances ignite into flames. The flashpoint of many common cooking oils is around 600 degrees F, but when gas or electric burners are placed on high, temperatures can approach 1000 degrees F.
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