What happens if you put out the oil burning in a frying pan with water?

At the lessons of life safety, we were taught that to extinguish oil with water is a bad idea: such an action is dangerous and can lead to the most sad consequences. But what happens if you try to extinguish the burning oil with a jet of water? We will try to figure out how such an attempt will end and how to act correctly in the event of an oil fire.

What happens if I put out the oil with water?

If we recall the course of chemistry, it turns out that combustion is a process of vigorous interaction of a combustible substance with atmospheric oxygen. Using water to extinguish a fire should prevent air from entering the burning area. It also lowers the temperature until the flame goes out. But what happens if you extinguish oil with water?

• Oil is a less dense liquid than water, so when draining these liquids, oil always floats to the surface. So, when extinguishing oil, water will not be able to block access to oxygen: burning fat will simply float to the surface.
• Another reason why it is forbidden to fill the flaming pan with water is that the flow of water will crush the burning oil into many small drops. Because of this, the contact surface of the fuel with oxygen will increase, and combustion will increase.

Therefore, the results when you try to fill the burning pan with water will be exactly the opposite of what you want. A column of flame will instantly grow 2–3 times and can ignite curtains, kitchen furniture, and ceiling coverings. In addition, splashes of burning fat will scatter throughout the kitchen and cause burns and flame spread. To prevent this from happening, remember: you can’t put out the oil with water!

To protect your home reliably, store a powder fire extinguisher (class B) in advance. At the same time, all family members must learn to use this fire extinguishing agent, and the fire extinguisher must be recharged in a timely manner.

Erroneous actions in case of oil fire

Stress and panic are natural conditions during a fire. That is why domestic fires often spread, despite fire extinguishing attempts. Inept and thoughtless actions are dangerous, as they can result in injuries and contribute to the additional spread of fire.

Typical errors in an oil fire include:

• Attempts to rearrange the pan from the burner. It is very easy to drop a red-hot dish by splashing burning liquid through the kitchen.
• Attempts to bring down the flame with rags, a towel, an apron. Usually this ends with the fact that the matter is impregnated with oil and also ignites.
• Attempts to block the access of the flame cover. Such actions will be successful only if the lid is made of metal. Ceramic and glass covers from the heat of the flame can burst, adding panic.

The main mistake in extinguishing a fire is a reassessment of one's own forces. If you feel that you cannot handle the fire, take the family members out of the house and call the firefighters.

How to put out a burning oil?

Now that you know what will happen if you pour hot oil with water, we’ll talk about how to extinguish an oil fire.

Here are some reliable ways to extinguish a flame for this case:

• Turn off the gas. As soon as the oil ceases to heat up, evaporation from the surface will decrease - and the flame will fall off by itself.
• Fill the flames with soda or sodium chloride. These substances do not burn, therefore, they can effectively block the access of oxygen to the combustion zone. Unfortunately, even a full pack of soda is enough only to eliminate a relatively small focus of flame.
  

  Make sure that you have soda in your hands.Flour, baking powder, citric acid, and cleaning powders, although similar, contain organic components and are therefore flammable.

• Block the access of oxygen with a metal cover. In this case, the pan must be closed as tightly as possible. Take care of tacks, as heated metal is easy to drop. Instead of a lid, you can use a metal baking tray.

Everyone needs to know how to properly act when ignited in the kitchen. After all, a fire is capable of developing rapidly, and the price of every second of delay and every mistake is the life and health of people, as well as huge material losses. Be careful in the kitchen and do not leave cooked food unattended!