SAINT PAUL – Just before noon
yesterday a fire broke out on the stovetop of an apartment on the 12th
story of a 100-unit high rise apartment building at 10 E. 4th St. in
downtown Saint Paul. Even before the
fire sprinkler system could go off the
fire was completely extinguished by two tiny new stovetop fire extinguishers,
called “StoveTop FireStops”. Without
them the fire, smoke and water damage would certainly have displaced some of
the residents from their homes.
The occupant said she only
left the kitchen “for a minute” while heating cooking oil in a pan on the
stove. When she returned the fire was
growing and climbing towards the kitchen cabinets. She fled. When firefighters arrived they
found that the two StoveTop FireStop extinguishers mounted under the
ventilation hood above the stove had completely extinguished the fire. Fire damage was limited only to the cabinets. No one was injured or displaced.
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Kitchen fires, mostly from
unattended cooking, are by far the leading cause of building fires in Minnesota
– and
they are all preventable. Simply
“Stay and look when you cook”. Check out this video to learn how to prevent
cooking fires, what you SHOULD DO when you have one, and what you SHOULD NEVER
DO when you have one. (Hint: Do Not Add Water!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUa12l3YbTQ
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StoveTop FireStops come as a
pair of small cans, each about the size of a tuna can. They mount with a magnet or double-sided tape
to the vent hood or cabinet above the stovetop.
When flames reach the extinguisher it ignites a fuse, like a firecracker,
that pops open the bottom of the can dropping dry powder fire extinguisher
agent onto the stovetop fire. Microwave
mounting brackets are also available.
StoveTop FireStops require NO
MAINTENANCE. Just install them and
forget them. It’s that simple.
StoveTop FireStops are
available at 13 participating Frattallone’s Ace Hardware stores in the Twin
Cities area, or at the service desks of Lowe’s stores. They have been 100% effective in putting out dangerous stovetop fires here in
Minnesota so the Saint Paul Fire Department urges everyone to install these
low-cost, but extremely effective, fire safety devices. For more information and a video of StoveTop
FireStops in action, go to their website at:
http://www.stovetopfirestop.com/
Saint Paul homeowners can get
FREE StoveTop FireStop extinguishers installed by firefighters by participating
in our Project Safe Haven. Project Safe Haven is a VOLUNTARY
self-inspection of your home using a colorful inspection checklist provided by
the Saint Paul Fire Department. After
the self-inspection the homeowner can request Saint Paul Firefighters to come
to their home to review the inspection, develop a fire escape plan, and install
FREE smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, and StoveTop FireStop extinguishers
paid for by a Fire Prevention & Safety Grant from FEMA. Call 651-228-6233 to sign up for Project Safe
Haven or go to our website at http://www.stpaul.gov/index.aspx?NID=3023
for a short video.
You can follow us on Twitter
at @StPaulFireDept or Facebook at SaintPaulFireDepartment.
Sent by Saint Paul Fire Department, 645 Randolph Ave, St Paul, MN 55102 | Phone: 651-228-6201
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