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When buying fire extinguishers for your business or home, it’s important to buy the right type of fire extinguisher for your needs. There are several different classifications of fires based primarily on the fuel source. Every fire extinguisher is rated for the types of fires it’s effective in putting out. By understanding what each fire class means, you can understand which fire types are a safety hazard at your business. Once you are aware of what types of fires your business may encounter, you can buy the proper extinguisher for protecting against them.

Class A

Class A fires involve ordinary combustible materials, such as cloth, wood, paper, rubber, and many plastics. Extinguishers with an A rating are designed to extinguish fires involving these ordinary combustible materials.

Class B

Class B fires involve flammable and combustible liquids such as gasoline, alcohol, oil-based paints, lacquers. Therefore, extinguishers with a B rating are designed to extinguish fires involving flammable and combustible liquids.

Class C

Class C fires involve energized electrical equipment. Extinguishers with a C rating are designed for use with fires involving energized electrical equipment.

Class D

Class D fires involve combustible metals, such as magnesium, titanium, and sodium. Extinguishers with a D rating are designed to extinguish fires involving combustible metals.

Class K

Class K fires involve vegetable oils, animal oils, or fats in cooking appliances. Extinguishers with a K rating are designed to extinguish fires involving vegetable oils, animal oils, or fats utilized in commercial cooking appliances.

How To Put Out a Wood Fire

Wood burning fires typically stem from a fireplace or fire pit and are categorized as Class A fires – or a fire that uses flammable material as its fuel sources. Wood, paper, trash, fabric and plastics are also common sources of Class A fires.

If a fire originating from your indoor fireplace gets out of hand, here are some dos and don’ts on how to put out a wood burning fire:

How To Put Out an Outdoor Fire Pit

How To Put Out a Gas Fire

Fires caused by natural gas, kerosene, propane or gasoline are categorized as Class B fires. These types of fires are caused by flammable liquids and best extinguished by smothering.

How To Put Out an Electrical Fire

Speaking of appliances, if they’re connected to electrical outlets, it’s possible for them to catch fire. There are specific steps you can take to handle a fire resulting from a home wiring failure, worn out breaker box, appliance malfunction or frayed electrical cord.

Here’s how you can put out an electrical fire:

How To Put Out an Appliance Fire

There are also the home appliances that aren’t connected to an electrical outlet but can still cause fire, like your oven, stove and microwave. These appliances are often located in the kitchen, where high temperatures place them at an increased risk of catching on fire.

There are some specific steps you should follow if you’re want to know how to put out an appliance fire:

How To Put Out a Stove Fire

How To Put Out a Microwave Fire

How To Put Out a Grease Fire

Cooking fires are the top cause of home fires and injuries. Of these fires, the majority begin with oil becoming too hot, boiling and eventually turning from smoke into flames. These are called grease fire, or Class K fires.

Here’s how to put out a grease fire:

What Should You Do If You Can’t Extinguish a Fire?

Calling ServiceMaster for Residential Fire DamageIf a fire becomes uncontrollable, leave your house immediately. Close the door as you leave to try to contain the flames. Once you’re safe, call 911 and do not go back inside your home until you’re told by a professional—like a firefighter— that the area is safe for reentry.

Contact Most Trusted Fire Damage Restoration Company in Oldsmar, Florida

Fires spread quickly and failure to act quickly could lead to structural damage and health issues. However, fire damage is not the only concern, since smoke damage and soot can also spread in your home which will lead to ongoing issues with odors and corrosion to different surfaces and contents.

ServiceMaster by Disaster Relief offers water damage restoration, mold removal, fire damage repairs, content cleaning and restoration, smoke and soot removal, and reconstruction services. We’ll work with you to recover what can be recovered, while ensuring that you have the support you need during the process. We guide and walk through during insurance claims.

Call us today at (813) 295-7797 or contact us online to learn more about our complete fire damage restoration services.