Old Fire Extinguisher

I got my folks a large yellow fire extinguisher a lot of years ago.
Over the years, I'd see it in the garage, shed, and basement. They never kept it handy.
I was up at my mom's visiting 10 days, and happened to see it between a storage rack and her furnace.

Yesterday I was out in her garage getting ready to head back to FL. Heard yelling and smoke detectors going off. She had a flaming pan of grease on her stove. She tried to throw baking soda on it, my daughter dumped a large container of ice on it. That didn't help! I threw a wet dish towel over it, and it helped some, but by then the cabinets were on fire.
I went to the basement and got the fire extinguisher, and ran back to the kitchen praying it would work.

Worked like a charm. After everything was safe and the fire department left I looked at the dated code on the extinguisher. Oct 1982, 39 years old and it saved her house.

She obviously needs a new stove and microwave, and minimal wood work done, but had it not been for that yellow extinguisher, I'm sure the house would be in ruins today.



Only real damage. Insurance company are now thinking they won't be able to fix the cabinet now. If that's the case she'll need all new counters and granite countertops.

 

Glad things worked for the best !!

It could have easily gone the other way.

What kind of fire extinguisher ??

 

I'm back in Florida now, and have no clue what brand it was.

 

Whew-Glad that it wasn't worse. That yellow fire extinguisher saved the day!

And you need to buy her another one...

 

Great story. Quick thinking on your part!

Looks like a perfect time to go with the painted cabinet look...

 

Glad you were able to get it out.
Do me, and yourself, a favor. Tell your kid(s) to never put water/ice on a grease fire. It only makes it worse. Also, go to Home Depot or Walmart and get your mother a couple fire extinguishers and mount one in a place that is easily seen and accessible in the kitchen.

 

Better yet set her up with the local local fire extinguisher service get them inspected and recharged every year if needed.

Also get the correct type for the type of fire likely to be encountered.

Well worth the slight cost of knowing it will work.

Someone was looking out for Mom for sure!! You really lucked out that it worked and was of the type suited for a grease fire.

 

I used to be an extinguisher serviceman and I'm really surprised that worked. Typically the ones that sit for long cake up and a little will come out, but when you open it after its depressurized you find most of the powder still in it. If you've still got it, hit the handle with a rubber mallet, sideways, and unscrew the top and look in it. See if its still got a bunch of powder.

 

This is exactly why we keep a big extinguisher under the kitchen sink and another in the garage.

 

I just gave it a short blast. That was enough to put out the fire, and cover half the kitchen in powder.

It's in Ohio and I'm in Florida, so no chance of checking it out now.