Did you know 96% of homes have a microwave oven? These small appliances can come in handy for reheating food quickly or popping a bag of pop corn. However, if not used properly they can quickly become a fire hazard.
To prevent a possible fire in your microwave oven, be sure to:
- Only use microwave safe dishes (look for the microwave safe symbol or if it says microwave safe on the bottom)
- Never put items in the microwave that contain metal such as aluminum foil, chocolate foil wrappers, twist ties, utensils, or dishes with metal edging
- Clean up any spills or food splatter inside the microwave and on the door
- Never heat flammable or combustible liquids
- Always stay in the room when using a microwave oven so if there is a problem you can react quickly
If your microwave oven does catch fire, close the door, turn off the appliance, and unplug it. This will cut off oxygen to the fire and suffocate it. Do not attempt to remove a burning container from the microwave! If leaving the door shut and cutting off power does not suffocate the fire, you may need to spray the appliance with the kitchen rated fire extinguisher. However, if the fire appears to be growing out of control, get everyone out of the house and call 911.
