Grilling: A Cautionary Tale

Tenants and homeowners alike will likely fire up the grill this weekend for Labor Day. This week we wanted to cover some safety regarding your BBQ party, especially when you’re hosting at your rental home.

It’s something you’ll see in the newspaper and everyone thinks the same two things; First, “They should have been more careful,” and second, “Thank God it wasn’t me, I do that all the time.”

This Labor Day weekend stay alert as you grill and take those precautions that will keep you, your family, and your property safe.

A Tale:

He turned the grill on and stepped back inside to give it time to warm up. Doing dishes and preparing the meats and veggies inside, he notes that he was probably inside for too long. He went back out to turn it down and was staggered at what had happened. The grill was on fire.

Looking back, he says the grease must have dripped down to the bottom of the pan and caught flame when he turned the grill on too high.

He approached the grill and managed to turn the gas off, the flames licking his hand, “this might blow up” ticked through his mind.

Remembering the fire extinguisher he had bought a few years back, which he knew was still good because he had checked it at the beginning of the summer,  (How to use & check your fire extinguisher) He dashed for the garage and came back to larger flames, even with the gas off they had enough fuel with the old grease to not only keep burning but keep growing.

A couple bursts from the fire extinguisher and the flame was out. The grill was surprisingly fine, and he had managed to prevent the fire from spreading.

The Cautionary Part:

Your rental property has fire alarms inside, these are important when detecting a fire while you sleep, but outside is relatively unprotected. Using a grill or any other flame like a heater or even a mosquito repellent candle, has its danger.

Having a back-up is an important risk management step you can take to prevent disaster. Additionally, keeping your fire extinguisher up to date and in good working order is vital as well. Make sure to keep it nearby, but far enough away from flammable items, so that you’re able to get to it quickly.

As in the case above, ‘Plan B’ would have been to use the hose or dirt from the garden to snuff the flames, but not knowing what the fuel is for the fire is half the danger while putting it out. Check this out to better understand common fires in the home.

We hope you have a safe & relaxing Labor Day Weekend. Keep you, your family, and your rental out of harm’s way, but don’t forget to enjoy it too.