Fires are likely the main realistic disaster to possibly occur in a restaurant. On average, there’s 8,240 fires at restaurants per year, averaging 115 injuries, two civilian deaths, and over $245M in property damage, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
If you wish to avail the fire damage cleanup services of One Team Restoration, call us right away at (919) 909-1096.
Approximately 40 percent of restaurant fires begin in the kitchen, and almost 20 percent of these may be traced to the stove. Below we list four causes of such fires, and what might be done to prevent them.
Grease Traps and Type of Oil
Animal fat and cooking oil, two of the main agents utilized in cooking, burn at very high temperatures which may be comparable to the ones discovered in regular fuel oil, about 1652-degrees F (900 to 1100°C). Animal fat melts at 104-degrees F (40°C), and smokes at 248-degrees F (120 to 220 °C), whereby normal cooking oil starts smoking at 302-degrees F (150-250 °C). At this step of the process, the oil degrades and will become combustible. According to the NFPA, food itself, which includes those oils, were the initial items ignited in 43 percent of dining establishment fires.
Exhaust System/ Ductwork
One main way that fires may so viciously spread in restaurants is because of the exhaust system and ventilation work. The fans and vents behind cooking equipment, such as stoves and ovens, may experience a build up of grease and extract flammable vapors. Also, this involves oven hoods. If those spaces are regularly cleaned and maintained, the risk of fire significantly decreases.
Gas Leaks
Such leaks are notorious for being the cause of the majority of devastating levels of dining establishment fires. This occurs once equipment is no longer able to adequately support the flow of gas, which leaves flammable gas inside the air. Such leaks usually can be detected by an odor, and are an exigent matter to handle.
Electrical Fires
Such fires may be started from poorly constructed or unsafe wiring or additional electrical elements that project heat to flammable materials. Also, short-circuiting is a concern, in which an overabundance of equipment is plugged in beyond the building’s electrical capacity. Wiring must be regularly checked by an electrician to safeguard against such risks.
For more information on our fire damage cleanup in Garner NC services contact One Team Restoration today at (919) 909-1096.
