The Common Causes of Restaurant Fires and Related Mishaps

 

We all love to eat. But the method of cooking can produce a tremendous amount of grease to build up in kitchen exhaust systems in restaurants. Unfortunately, if exhaust systems are not cleaned properly, this buildup often leads to serious fire hazards. Any restaurant or food establishment worries about restaurant fires as it not only is a threat to the staff working there but also to the life of guests visiting there. 

Restaurants and food establishments may vary by the variety of delicacies they prepare and serve their customers, but all restaurants hold similar fire risks when engaging in cooking activities, irrespective of the type. The cook line (row of appliances for hot food preparation in a restaurant), hood filters, rooftop exhaust fan, and ducting in between are deemed potential fire risks for commercial kitchens.

As per the NFPA’s current study of fires in eating & drinking establishments, cooking equipment is one of the chief causes of restaurant fires. Besides the cooking equipment, the below-written sources also round out the top reasons for fires in a commercial kitchen:

Cooking equipment

Cooking equipment and appliances are accountable for 61% of fires in food establishments.

• 31% of these flare-ups are associated with deep fryers

• 18% included cooking ranges

• 11% connected with cooking grills

Electrical distribution and lighting fixtures

Faulty appliances, worn or defective electrical wiring, improper management of electrical outlets, and worn-out breaker boxes are held for 9% of food establishment fires.

Heating equipment

Fire hazards can be due to heating equipment within the restaurant kitchen. Heating, ventilating, venting, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems liable for 9% of restaurant mishaps.

Smoking stuff

On average, cigarettes are responsible for 7% of fires in any restaurant. Several smoking fires are induced near trash cans because of this.

Intentional

Arson (the crime of putting a building on fire for a purpose) is responsible for 4% of fires in a commercial kitchen.

These top causes account for 90% of all fires in restaurants reported by the NFPA. It’s worth regarding that a whopping 22% of the food establishment fires involve cooking equipment caused by failure to clean kitchen equipment, which could have been 100% preventable.

Conclusion

Fires can't be controlled without suppression systems once it takes a fierce form. Restaurant owners must get a restaurant fire suppression system installed to avoid damage and loss from a fire outbreak.