Chip pan#Fire hazard

Chip pans are commonly manufactured through a spinning process, as the metal used is malleable. The lid is typically stamped out by a die in a heavy press.{{cite book |last1=Willacy |first1=David M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xzVoc53dytwC&pg=PA145 |title=Craft and Design in Wood |publisher=Nelson Thornes |year=1992 |isbn=9780748710669 |location=Cheltenham |access-date=2023-08-07}}

Repeated heating of oil is believed to greatly increase the free radicals in the oil, leading to a higher risk of heart disease.{{Cite book |title=Toxicology of the Human Environment |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2000 |isbn=0-7484-0916-5 |editor-last=Rhodes |editor-first=Christopher J. |location=London and New York, N.Y.}}

Injuries, particularly to children, caused by the hot oil from a chip pan falling on them are a common cause of hospital admission in the UK.{{Cite journal |last1=Liao |first1=Ching-Chuan |last2=Rossignol |first2=Annette MacKay |date=2000 |title=Landmarks in Burn Prevention |journal=Burns |volume=26 |issue=5 |pages=422–434 |doi=10.1016/S0305-4179(00)00026-7|pmid=10812263 }}{{Cite journal |last1=Whitaker |first1=I.S. |last2=Oliver |first2=D.W. |date=2002 |title=A 5-year Retrospective Study: Burn Injuries Due to Hot Cooking Oil |journal=Burns |volume=28 |issue=4 |pages=401–402 |doi=10.1016/S0305-4179(02)00005-0|pmid=12052384 }}

Chip pans are the most common cause of house fires in the United Kingdom, with around 12,000 chip pan fires every year, 1100 of them considered serious, resulting in over 4600 injuries, and 50 deaths per year. British Fire Brigades frequently issue warnings and advice, urging households to switch to a safer means of cooking chips, and advising that, unless it can be easily contained, the fire be left to the emergency services.{{cite web |title=Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service: Chip pans |url=http://www.cambsfire.gov.uk/firesafety/94.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150520082554/http://www.cambsfire.gov.uk/firesafety/94.php |archive-date=2015-05-20 |access-date=2009-07-03 |website=Cambridgeshire Fire & Rescue Service |publisher=}}{{Cite web |title=Chip Pan Safety Advice |url=http://www.fireservice.co.uk/safety/chip-pans/ |access-date=2023-08-05 |website=UK Fire Service Resources}} Several fire brigades have offered a "chip pan amnesty", trading old chip pans for a deep fryer.{{cite web |date=2007-02-09 |title=Hand In Your Pan: Chip Pan Amnesty! |url=http://www.staffordshirefire.gov.uk/ccm/content/press-releases/2007/february-2007/hand-in-your-pan-chip-pan-amnesty.en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080505063811/http://www.staffordshirefire.gov.uk/ccm/content/press-releases/2007/february-2007/hand-in-your-pan-chip-pan-amnesty.en |archive-date=2008-05-05 |access-date=2011-03-11 |work=Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service}}

Chip pans account for one-fifth of all domestic fires in the Republic of Ireland.{{cite web |date=2008-10-07 |title=Deadly Effect of Water on Chip-pan Fire Displayed |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/deadly-effect-of-water-on-chip-pan-fire-displayed-74154.html |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417181950/https://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/deadly-effect-of-water-on-chip-pan-fire-displayed-74154.html |archive-date=2019-04-17 |website=Irish Examiner}} After two men died in a 2016 fire in Cork City, a coroner recommended the sale of chip pans be banned and old chip pans be disposed of.{{cite web |last=English |first=Eoin |date=2017-01-25 |title=Video: Coroner Calls for Ban Chip Pan Sales Following House Fire |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-20440642.html |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211220024750/https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-20440642.html |archive-date=2021-12-20 |access-date=2023-08-05 |website=Irish Examiner}} Another coroner noted the danger of people heavily inebriated by alcohol putting on a chip pan and falling asleep.{{Cite web |date=2015-04-21 |title=Inquest Told Teenager Overcome by Chip Pan Fumes |url=https://www.rte.ie/news/2015/0421/695746-evan-kidney-inquest/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129080020/https://www.rte.ie/news/2015/0421/695746-evan-kidney-inquest/ |archive-date=2020-11-29 |access-date=2023-08-05 |website=RTÉ}} In 2015, at a halting site in Carrickmines, eleven people were killed in a chip pan fire, the worst fire in Ireland for 34 years.

Measures to prevent chip fires include:{{cite web |last1= |first1= |title=Chip Pan Fire Safety Tips |url=https://www.cheshirefire.gov.uk/news-events/latest-news/chip-pan-fire-safety-tips |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309162015/https://www.cheshirefire.gov.uk/news-events/latest-news/chip-pan-fire-safety-tips |archive-date=2016-03-09 |website=Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service |language=}}{{cite web |title=Chip Pan Fires |url=https://www.bedsfire.gov.uk/Community-safety/Home-safety/Chip-Pan-Fires.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220410160046/https://www.bedsfire.gov.uk/Community-safety/Home-safety/Chip-Pan-Fires.aspx |archive-date=2022-04-10 |website=Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service |publisher=}}{{cite web |title=Chip Pan Safety Advice |url=https://www.fireservice.co.uk/safety/chip-pans/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230805073003/http://www.fireservice.co.uk/safety/chip-pans/ |archive-date=2023-08-05 |access-date=2023-08-07 |website=UK Fire Service Resources}}{{cite web |title=Chip Pans and Deep-Frying |url=https://www.firescotland.gov.uk/your-safety/at-home/kitchen-safety/chip-pans-and-deep-frying/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726130934/https://www.firescotland.gov.uk/your-safety/at-home/kitchen-safety/chip-pans-and-deep-frying/ |archive-date=2023-07-26 |access-date=2023-08-07 |website=Scottish Fire and Rescue Service |language=en}}

• Not using chip pans (making oven chips, microwave chips, or frying in a thermostat-controlled electric deep fryer).
• Not using chip pans when feeling unwell, or after having taken alcohol or other drugs.
• Not filling the pan more than 1/3 full; frying food in small amounts.
• Not leaving the pan unattended, even if the phone or doorbell rings.
• Turning the handle to the side so as not to accidentally knock it (but not over another hot ring).
• If the oil or fat starts to smoke, not adding food, turning off the heat immediately, and waiting for it to cool down.
• Drying food before adding it to the oil, including removing any ice.
• Adding a small piece of food to test the temperature; if it crisps quickly, the oil is already hot enough.

Some local fire services will supply free deep fryers. Electric deep fryers feature thermostat-controlled internal heating elements that prevent the oil being heated to the point of ignition.

A correct mitigation approach includes:{{cite web |date=2022-02-09 |title=Fires in the Kitchen |url=https://www.firesafe.org.uk/fires-in-the-kitchen/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230729205910/https://www.firesafe.org.uk/fires-in-the-kitchen/ |archive-date=2023-07-29 |access-date=2023-08-07 |website=Fire Safety Advice Centre}}

• Not moving the pan.
• Turning off the heat, if it can be done safely. Leaning over the fire to reach the controls is unsafe.
• If the cooker is electric, cutting off the power supply will turn off the heat. The power can be cut at the fuse box or breaker box, or at the electricity meter.
• Putting out the fire only if it can be done safely.
• The best way to accomplish this is to place a lid on the pan.
• If not possible a class F extinguisher can be used, however care must be taken not to spread the fire outside of the pan. Other extinguisher classes have to be avoided.
• Adding water must be avoided at all costs, as it leads to violent fire spread.
• If the fire cannot be put out, getting everyone out of the room, closing the door, getting everyone out of the house, and then calling the fire department.

File:Kitchen oil fire demonstration (4).jpg (video)]]

File:TDFw 135a.jpg

It is essential not to use water to extinguish a chip pan fire. Attempts to extinguish cooking oil fires with water result in a slopover, an extremely dangerous condition whereby the flaming oil is violently expelled from the container.{{Cite book |last=API |title=Fighting Fires in and Around Flammable and Combustible Liquid Atmospheric Storage Tanks |publisher=American Petroleum Institute |year=1991 |edition=3rd |series=API Publication 2021 |location=Washington, D.C. |pages=29 |quote=A slopover can result when a water stream is applied to the hot surface of a burning oil, provided the oil is viscous and its temperature exceeds the boiling point of water.}}

Cooking oil fires (Europe class F, US class K) burn hotter than other typical combustible liquids, rendering the standard class A and B fire extinguishers ineffective and even dangerous. Class F fire extinguishers featuring a yellow label use saponification to put out chip pan fires by spraying an alkaline solution which reacts with the fat to make non-flammable soap. These extinguishers are generally only available in industrial and commercial kitchens.

The use of fire blankets has traditionally been considered effective and safe, especially in Europe and Australia.{{Cite book |last=LACORS |url=https://www.cieh.org/media/1244/guidance-on-fire-safety-provisions-for-certain-types-of-existing-housing.pdf |title=Housing – Fire Safety: Guidance on Fire Safety Provisions for Certain Types of Existing Housing |publisher=Newman Thomson |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-84049-638-3 |location=Burgess Hill |access-date=2023-08-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507150310/https://www.cieh.org/media/1244/guidance-on-fire-safety-provisions-for-certain-types-of-existing-housing.pdf |archive-date=2023-05-07}}{{Cite book |last1=Ahrens |first1=Marty |url=https://www.nfpa.org/-/media/Files/Public-Education/Resources/Community-tool-kits/cooking-kit/usfa_cooking_report.ashx |title=Behavioral Mitigation of Cooking Fires Through Strategies Based on Statistical Analysis |last2=Hall |first2=John |last3=Comoletti |first3=Judy |last4=Gamache |first4=Sharon |last5=LeBeau |first5=Amy |publisher=Federal Emergency Management Agency |year=2007 |series=Final Project Report for EME-2005-CA-0343 |location=Washington, D.C. |access-date=2023-08-05}} It has, however, been put in question by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority.{{cite web |date=2013-12-23 |title=Niet alle blusdekens blussen olie- en vetbranden |trans-title=Not All Fire Blankets Extinguish Oil and Grease Fires |url=https://www.nvwa.nl/actueel/nieuws/nieuwsbericht/2042901/niet-alle-blusdekens-blussen-olie-en-vetbranden |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20141107112838/https://www.nvwa.nl/actueel/nieuws/nieuwsbericht/2042901/niet-alle-blusdekens-blussen-olie-en-vetbranden |archive-date=2014-11-07 |website=Nederlandse Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit |language=Dutch}}{{cite web |date=2014-10-31 |title=Belangrijke veiligheidswaarschuwing: blusdekens niet geschikt voor frituurbranden |trans-title=Important Safety Warning: Fire Blankets Are Not Suitable for Deep-Frying Fires |url=http://www.vwa.nl/actueel/waarschuwingen/nieuwsbericht/2056081/belangrijke-veiligheidswaarschuwing-blusdekens-niet-geschikt-voor-frituurbrande |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20141107113015/http://www.vwa.nl/actueel/waarschuwingen/nieuwsbericht/2056081/belangrijke-veiligheidswaarschuwing-blusdekens-niet-geschikt-voor-frituurbrande |archive-date=2014-11-07 |website=Nederlandse Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit |language=Dutch}} The Netherlands Foundation for Burn Wounds reported several accidents involving the use of fire blankets when extinguishing oil/fat fires.{{cite web |last=Stegenga |first=Marieke |title=Vlam in de pan: niet blussen met een blusdeken |trans-title=Flame in the Pan: Do Not Extinguish with a Fire Blanket |url=http://brandwondenstichting.nl/nieuws/vlam-de-pan-niet-blussen-met-een-blusdeken/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141107132628/http://brandwondenstichting.nl/nieuws/vlam-de-pan-niet-blussen-met-een-blusdeken/ |archive-date=2014-11-07 |work=Nederlandse Brandwonden Stichting |language=Dutch}}

File:Chip-pan-fire-4.jpg|Oil is heated strongly...

File:Chip-pan-fire-3.jpg|...eventually reaching ignition point.

File:Chip-pan-fire-2.jpg|Pouring a very small amount of water into the fire ejects a plume of fire...

File:Chip-pan-fire.jpg|...which rises and spreads against the ceiling.

• List of cooking vessels

{{reflist}}

{{Cookbook|Deep Fat Frying}}

{{Commons category|Chip-pan fires}}

• [http://portal.oxfordshire.gov.uk/content/publicnet/council_services/fire_public_safety/fire/safety_advice/safety_leaflets/fire_leaflet_chippan.pdf Online copy of an Oxfordshire council safety flyer] (PDF document).
• [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bradford/3956143.stm BBC News]: A woman pulled from a chip pan fire thanks her rescuers.
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060710223603/http://www.northyorksfire.gov.uk/news/photo_galleries/chip_pan_unit/index.html North Yorkshire Fire Service]: Demonstration of a chip pan fire.

Category:Cooking vessels

Category:Culture of the United Kingdom

Category:Firefighting

Category:Types of fire