If something is on fire inside your oven, turn the oven off and keep the door closed. The enclosed space of an oven starves a fire of oxygen, and most small oven fires will burn themselves out within a few minutes if you leave the door shut. Here’s exactly what to do, step by step, and how to handle the aftermath.
Step One: Leave the Door Closed
Your instinct will be to open the oven door. Fight it. Opening the door feeds fresh oxygen directly to the flames, which can cause the fire to flare up dramatically or spread beyond the oven cavity. An oven with a closed door acts like a containment box, limiting the fire’s air supply and giving it very little room to grow.
Turn the oven off immediately. If it’s a gas oven, this cuts the fuel source. If it’s electric, the heating elements will begin cooling. With the heat off and the door sealed, most oven fires die out on their own within minutes.
If the Fire Doesn’t Go Out
If flames are still visible after a couple of minutes, or if you see smoke pouring from the edges of the door, you have a few options depending on severity.
For a small, contained fire, you can use a fire extinguisher rated for kitchen use. A multipurpose ABC extinguisher (the most common type sold at hardware stores) works on most home fires. Class B extinguishers handle grease and flammable liquids, while Class K extinguishers are specifically designed for cooking oils and fats. If you use an extinguisher, aim at the base of the flames, not the top.
Baking soda can smother a small grease fire, but you need a generous amount poured directly on the flames. Do not use flour. Flour looks similar to baking soda but is combustible and can cause the fire to explode outward. No other baking product works as a substitute.
If the fire is spreading beyond the oven, growing quickly, or producing heavy smoke, get everyone out of the house and call 911 from outside. Never go back into a building with an active fire. The U.S. Fire Administration’s guidance is simple: when in doubt, just get out.
What Causes Oven Fires
The most common culprit is grease buildup. Every time you roast meat, bake something greasy, or have a spill you don’t clean up, a thin layer of vaporized grease coats the inside of your oven. At temperatures above 500°F, that leftover grease can ignite. This is also why the self-cleaning cycle, which heats the oven to extreme temperatures, occasionally triggers fires if there are large food particles or heavy grease deposits inside.
Food spills are the second major cause. A casserole that bubbles over, a piece of foil that shifts and touches a heating element, or a forgotten piece of parchment paper can all catch fire. According to FEMA, U.S. fire departments responded to roughly 170,000 home cooking fires in 2021, causing 135 deaths, 3,000 injuries, and over $494 million in property damage. The single biggest contributing factor was unattended cooking, responsible for 37% of fires that spread beyond the initial cookware.
Grease-laden vent hood filters above the oven pose another risk. If a fire does escape the oven, accumulated grease in the hood and ductwork can ignite and spread the fire into cabinetry or the structure of the house surprisingly fast.
Inspecting Your Oven After a Fire
Once the fire is completely out and the oven has cooled down, open the door and assess the damage. For a minor fire, like a piece of food or small grease flare-up, a thorough cleaning is usually all that’s needed. Wipe out all ash, charred food, and residue with a damp cloth. If you used a fire extinguisher, clean all the chemical residue out of the oven before using it again.
Look carefully at the heating elements (the coils or bars at the top and bottom of the oven). Check for warping, discoloration, or visible damage. Inspect the wiring visible inside the cavity and the control panel for melting or soot. If the fire was more than a brief flare-up, or if you notice any melted components, unusual smells when you turn the oven back on, or smoke with no food inside, don’t use it until a technician inspects it.
A good test before returning to normal cooking: run the oven empty at a moderate temperature for 15 to 20 minutes and monitor for any strange smells or smoke. If everything seems normal, you’re likely fine to resume using it.
Preventing Oven Fires
Regular cleaning is the most effective prevention. Wipe down the interior with a damp sponge after messy cooking sessions. Clean up spills before they bake into a hard, greasy layer. Before running a self-cleaning cycle, remove any large food particles first, since the extreme heat will burn off grease splatters but can ignite bigger chunks of food debris.
Use a baking sheet or oven-safe dish beneath anything likely to drip or bubble over. Keep foil, parchment paper, and towels away from heating elements. And stay nearby when cooking at high temperatures or broiling, since these are the conditions most likely to start a fire.
Keep a fire extinguisher in or near the kitchen. A multipurpose ABC extinguisher from any home improvement store covers the most common fire types you’d encounter. Mount it somewhere accessible, not directly above the stove where you’d have to reach over flames to grab it. Check the pressure gauge every few months to make sure it’s still charged.