Subj: Scorched Earth Policy
Date: 02/10/2001 8:48:03 PM Eastern Standard Time

Scorched Earth Policy 
(See the flames rising?)

Flames in the kitchen are not a good way to establish rapport with owners or to demonstrate experience and knowledge to your buyer. Today, I had the un-gratifying privilege of watching my first home inspection catch fire. I understand my good friend and yours "Dick" has had experience with this sort of thing only much worse. Of course, he has been around much longer than I have. It was not in an old or low price house either! Those of you who might have been scorched by one of mine or "Dick's" inspections are sitting there saying: "It couldn't have happened to more deserving people." 

Pay back is hell!

Thankfully, I was not alone or it might have been much worse, and it was a FSBO so none of you were available to make fun of me. 

I had turned the electric range burners on high, turned the oven on broil while working on the balance of the kitchen as they were warming up. Noticing the rear left burner smoking, which is not unusual, I turned on the exhaust fan. Luckily, the hood was a higher quality than the average and was vented to the exterior out the rear brick veneer wall with a substantial metal cover outside. 

The owners were on the deck and the buyer was in the kitchen with me. A pot of hot coffee was on the coffee maker beside of the range. The wife walked in from the deck to get a cup of coffee and was talking with the buyer when I heard her scream "Chris, the stove is on fire." Turning around sure enough flames were shooting up under the exhaust hood from the small rear right burner. I walked over to the range asking the owner for a large pot, which she handed me from the cabinet, placed the pot upside down over the fire, which then began to create a large volume of black smoke and flames shot out from the adjacent burner. Instinctively, and foolishly, I picked up the pot to stop the flames from spreading sideways. Turning the pot over filled with unignited fumes, the fire at the burner lit back, igniting the fumes rising from the pot up almost into my face. As I walked toward the door with the flaming pot, the fire in the pot went out, as did the fire at the range. Close call? You better believe it. So what did I do wrong?

I was following proper procedure for testing the range and had no way of knowing that someone had evidently recently spilled, what appeared to be, a large amount of bacon grease below the burner. Should have looked a little closer before I turned the burner on. Turning on the better quality vented high volume exhaust fan was moving large volumes of air around the burner sucking the grease fumes up in the hot burner. As the burner became red hot it ignited the grease causing a fire. I failed to trust my knowledge of grease fires. I should have left the upside down pot in place and never removed it. I could have been seriously burned, lucky for me I was not. The other thing I did wrong was after placing the pot and dampening the flames I should have turned off the exhaust fan to cut down on the airflow. It just didn't dawn on me at the time. The large volume of black smoke was unignited fumes which had properly been starved for air. When I picked the pot up, I gave the fire back the air it demanded to burn. Bad move. Good for everyone, the fire when it flashed back up so fast evidently starved itself of air and went out. 

So what lessons are in this for us? Look under the burner BEFORE you turn it on! Here are some more:

1. My years of having drummed into me never to use water on a grease fire worked. I never gave water a thought and neither should you. Smother the fire with something that will not burn. Fire cannot burn without air.

2. The homeowner should have had a fire extinguisher near by.

3. Chris should have had a small fire extinguisher in his bag instead of so far away in the van. You can bet I will have one next time.

4. The best way to stop a grease fire is to stop its air source. The pot worked, but had I tuned off the exhaust van, it would have worked much better.

5. Once you have done the right thing, don't back up and do something stupid like pulling the pot off while dark smoke is still boiling out the sides. The smoke you can deal with for a brief time, it's the flames you need to stop immediately.

6. Keep your stove clean. Its not just for looks, it could save your or your families life or your home. To this homeowner's defense, the visible area of the cook top was clean. The grease was under the top. Lesson, pick up the top, check and clean the inside as well as the outside.

7. When you spill grease, get it up now.

8. Had this been the usual unvented exhaust hood, the flames could have been pulled into the fan, out onto the cabinet quickly setting it on fire.

9. Had this been vented into the attic and not to the outside, it could have set the attic on fire becoming out of control without your knowledge while you are concentrating on the kitchen.

10. Had the outside wall been vinyl, hardboard or wood siding instead of brick the flames could have been pulled outside setting the siding on fire becoming out of control without your knowledge while you are concentrating on the kitchen. 

You would not think that a little bit of spilled grease inside of a range could cause such a fire. Suppose instead of a big, burly, crusty, calm, knowledgeable, stick his hands in the fire, although sometimes stupid, home inspector, this could have been your young teenager scrambling her/his morning eggs while you sleep in? There is a very good chance this could have been much worse causing injury or extensive damage to the home. 

Am I upset that I set the owners house on fire? Yep, I am not happy about it, but I am pleased to know that there was no damage beyond a little soot and that they and the new buyer are now aware that there is a problem that needs correcting and no one will be injured and their home will not be damaged by a little spilt grease. Did I do my job and find the problem? Yep. Was I a little sloppy in how I did it? Yep. Will I do better next time? I hope so, but just in case there will be the closer fire extinguisher. 

Am I glad I have Liability and Errors and Omission Insurance? Yes, and you and your clients both buyers and sellers should be to. 

Does that other inspector you are using have his? 

O! (I read the paper), about the house I was inspecting. There were a few issues besides the burning stove, but the buyer loves it and is not asking the seller for anything. You didn't think any like that did you?