Good to remember -- to have one and to check it periodically. I recently went through my dad's house after he moved to a senior living apartment. His kitchen fire extinguisher was kaput. I was surprised he would let that happen.

If you get caught without one, remember that you can throw baking soda or salt on it to smother it. You need more than a salt shaker though. And never throw water on a grease fire!

Forgot to say I'm glad you caught it in time.

Don't use flour.

I have an old one, and me, having had an electrical fire.
You have posted some excellent advice and a good reminder.

I'm glad tragedy was averted!!!

"I know this doesn't have anything to do with kitchen remodel or decor,.."
Actually it does and brings up an often overlooked aspect of kitchen design. Last I knew, failing to include a fire extinguisher on the plan when taking the NKBA certification test is an automatic failure. In practice most KD's don't do it and I can't remember seeing a thread around here "where should my fire extinguisher go?"

Yes, there was a thread on exactly that subject, I posted it a few weeks ago and got some great advice so I'll link it below. A couple of firefighters weighed in toward the end of the thread.

patty0315, I am very glad all is well with you, and thanks again for the reminder. My fire extinguisher landed inside an upper cabinet (i.e. hidden) while the backsplash was being installed, and I forgot to take it back out until you posted.

While we are talking about it, does anyone know how to tell if a fire extinguisher is still good?

Here is a link that might be useful: Where is your fire extinguisher?

How scary! So glad you caught it in time and you're okay. Thanks for the great reminder!

Was picking up paint samples at BM this morning when the laundromat two doors down caught on fire. Firefighters were just two blocks down and got there incredibly fast and were able to knock it down quickly. Bad enough that they had to vent the fire through the roof. Scary to think how quickly it could have spread.

Thanks to this forum, I recently bought two small fire extinguishers. And then my father decided two small weren't enough and bought me a commercial sized one for the house. Fire extinguisher storage isn't the most glamorous kitchen topics, but certainly worthwhile. Thanks for bringing it up! Glad things turned out ok and you and your home are safe.

Good topic. When we were securing our new home insurance for our build, one of the first questions the inspector asked during his walk through was where our fire extinguisher was located. I was glad we had one.

'I can't remember seeing a thread around here "where should my fire extinguisher go?'

yes, we've had several in the past yr or 2 anyway.

What type should one buy? I keep thinking I'll call or stop at the FD and ask - then I forget.

I plan to keep 1 just inside the pantry door. (there IS no actual door tho). It's w/in steps of the stove and on the way to the back door.

I think I'll keep one in my bdrm closet in case I need one between there and the front door - which is just a few steps from my bdrm door.

I need one that is easy to use since my fingers/ hands are weak and painful to use.

Glad disaster was avoided! And yes, very important subject. Thanks for the reminder...I have no idea where mine is. The unpacking is really too much. Perhaps a new one for the new house.

And don't forget to learn how to use them. During a crisis is not the time to read the directions.

That's the door out of the kitchen toward the rear hall of the house and about 10' from the range. We also had one in our rear hallway near the laundry. When my insurance inspector came he said that he could count on both hands how many people actually have fire extinguishers where they belong, but everyone says "yes" on the application. We also had heat and smoke detectors hardwired. It seemed like we had at least 10 in our house because they have to be in and immediately outside, every bedroom. And we had heat detectors in the kitchen and attic.

Then, two houses back:

This location, while better than nothing, really isn't too hot. ;-)

Wow, lucky you.

I had a grease fire years ago and the not so bright boyfriend at the time freaked out and threw water on it. W.a.t.e.r.
The flames exploded out of the pan, rolled across the entire ceiling with a whoosh and then returned back to the pan where I finally thought to cover it with a lid. 2nd story apartment and I was looking out the window for a good place to jump. Really, really scary. A fire extinguisher is a good idea. So is keeping your wits about you if something happens.

Our fire extinguisher is at the end of kitchen right on the floor, easy to see and grab. There is another one in the garage and one in our bedroom closet.

Don't forget to check the gauge at the top that they are still good. Remind family members where the extinguishers are located too.

If I'm frying things, which rarely happens, I have a big pan lid in case of fire. Cut off the oxygen and they stop.

But if you have a fire extinguisher, make sure it's between the stove and the exit so you can retreat and grab it, or grab it as you come on the room.