Two Munich women tried to put out burning fat with water – and injured themselves in the process. The frying fat in the cooking pot got too hot on Saturday evening and caught fire. “In their panic, the two women poured water on the flames, which caused a grease explosion and set the extractor hood above on fire,” the Munich fire department reported on Sunday.
A neighbor heard the women’s screams, rushed to help, put out the burning furniture and alerted the fire department. When the emergency services arrived, the fire had already been extinguished; all they had to do was remove smoke from the Pasinger apartment with a high-performance fan and use a thermal imaging camera to check that nothing was burning.
The women were spared serious burns and were taken to a clinic with suspected smoke inhalation. The fire fighters estimate the damage to the kitchen at 5,000 euros. The fire department emphasizes that burning fat should never be extinguished with water. For example, smothering the flames with a suitable pot lid is the “much safer alternative”.