Don't Pour Water on an Oil Fire

Water just turned a small fire into a fireball. Water is heavier than oil, so it sinks straight to the hot bottom of the pan. It flashes into steam. One cup becomes a bathtub of steam in a split second. That blast flings the burning oil up as a mist, and every drop catches fire. A lid smothers it. But you have to reach over the flames. So some stoves hide small cans under the hood. Flames touch one, it pops, and it dumps powder onto the pan. This 3D animation shows why you should never pour water on a grease fire. Water sinks through hot oil, flashes into steam and expands about 1,700 times, so one cup makes roughly 400 litres of steam. The blast tears the burning oil into fine droplets that all catch fire at once. To put out a small grease fire, slide a lid over the pan, turn off the burner and leave the lid on until it cools. Some kitchens add fire-suppressor cans under the range hood: when a flame touches the fuse, the bottom opens and a dry powder falls onto the cooktop. The kitchen, the cat and the cans here are generic designs with no brands; the cut-open pan and the slow-motion close-ups are drawn to show what happens inside. #Shorts #FireSafety #Science