A video of a mouse accidentally turning on the induction stove and causing the kitchen to fill with smoke has attracted the attention of the online community. The owner of the video breathed a sigh of relief as they were able to detect the incident in time and prevent a serious fire. Many viewers also realized that their own families were somewhat careless when using induction or infrared stoves.
Induction and infrared stoves are increasingly popular among families due to their convenience, easy cleaning, and minimal heat generation during cooking, especially in the summer.
Induction stoves are increasingly used in kitchens for their cleanliness and convenience (Photo: Hong Anh).
The use of induction stoves is very simple. The cook only needs to lightly touch the touch button to turn it on, and choose the appropriate temperature for cooking. After cooking, the user only needs to turn off the power and wipe the stove to make it shiny and clean.
Although modern and easy to use, induction stoves also have certain risks if users do not remember some precautions.
Mr. Nguyen Phu Phuc, a technical specialist at a chain of household appliances and kitchen furniture stores in Hanoi, said that the design of induction stoves is very diverse, from the appearance to the features to suit modern kitchens.
Along with technological development, induction stoves also have many improved features such as smart timer function, child lock, automatic shutoff when there is no pan, overheating warning, etc.
However, when using induction or infrared stoves, families need to remember to turn off the power when not in use.
“Just turning off the power button on the surface of the stove is not enough. Because induction and infrared stoves have touch functions, they can be accidentally turned on not only by humans but also by animals like cats and mice. This poses a risk of fire and explosion,” said Mr. Phuc.
According to Mr. Phuc, users should disconnect the circuit breaker or unplug the power cord when not using the stove for a long time or before going to bed at night.
However, the disconnection of the circuit breaker or unplugging the power cord also needs to be done at the right time. It is not recommended to disconnect the power immediately after cooking because induction and infrared stoves still need power to operate the fan that cools the stove components.
It is advisable to wait a few minutes until the fan of the induction stove turns off completely before disconnecting the circuit breaker or unplugging the power cord.
In an exchange with a reporter from Dan Tri, Lieutenant Nguyen Tien Thanh (Firefighting and Rescue Department, Hai Ba Trung District Police, Hanoi) said that if an induction stove turns on by itself, and there are pots and pans on the stove that have been cooking for a long time without the knowledge of the homeowner, it will only cause smoke and a strong smell in the kitchen.
However, if there are flammable objects near the induction stove, such as newspapers, it is likely to generate heat that will ignite the paper and cause a fire. If the family uses an infrared stove, it will be even easier to cause a fire because the infrared stove uses a heat coil to generate heat for cooking food.
According to Lieutenant Nguyen Tien Thanh, during the fire prevention and firefighting campaign, he always reminds people that when going out, before going to bed, or after cooking, they need to turn off the stove to prevent pets from accidentally activating the stove.
It is advisable to completely disconnect the power to induction and infrared stoves when not in use (Photo: Hong Anh).
“Not only for induction stoves and infrared stoves but for any electrical equipment in the house, when the residents do not use them, when they go out, they should also turn off the switches, unplug the sockets of fans, hair dryers, etc. to prevent electrical faults that can cause fires.
Near electrical switches, flammable objects should never be placed, so it is necessary to leave an empty space around the electrical switches. In the event of a switch malfunction, it will only trip at the socket and not spread to other areas,” Lieutenant Thanh shared.
In the kitchen area, in addition to paying attention to the use of induction and infrared stoves, Lieutenant Thanh advises families to also pay attention to the use of range hoods, as this device also carries a high risk of fire or explosion.
“Range hoods accumulate a lot of grease. If an electrical fault occurs, the grease will ignite, causing the vent pipe to catch fire and quickly cause a large fire. Dealing with a fire caused by a range hood is not simple because it involves grease. It is difficult to extinguish the fire with water,” he said.
Lieutenant Thanh recounted that about a month ago, he and his colleagues handled a fire incident related to a range hood in Thanh Luong Ward, Hai Ba Trung District.
A fire broke out in Mr. N.N.A’s family. On January 15, the whole family was on the second floor of the house when they smelled a strong burning smell. Checking downstairs, Mr. A. discovered that the kitchen was filled with black smoke and there was a fire.
Mr. A. used a fire extinguisher but was unsuccessful. Black smoke and flames quickly engulfed the staircase of the house, making it impossible for Mr. A. to move to the third floor where his daughter and grandchild were trapped.
The members of Mr. A.’s family rushed out to the balcony area, asking the neighbors for help and informing the Hai Ba Trung District Firefighting and Rescue Department.
A few minutes later, Lieutenant Thanh and his colleagues arrived, extinguished the fire, and safely rescued the trapped people. The cause of the fire was determined to be a problem with the range hood in the kitchen.
From the above incidents, Lieutenant Thanh reminded families to pay attention to safety principles when using induction and infrared stoves, and regularly clean the range hood to prevent the risk of fires.
According to Dan Tri Newspaper
According to Dan Tri Newspaper
