A townhouse in Harford County, Maryland, was the location of an air fryer that caught fire on Tuesday afternoon. A girl who is 14 years old is being credited with rescuing her brothers from the impending danger.
authorities determined that three children, ages 4, 10, and 14, were at home alone and making French fries in an air fryer. The 14-year-old child smelt smoke and then saw the air fryer on fire, according to the authorities who investigated the fire.
According to the officials in charge of the fire department, she assisted her younger brother and sister in evacuating the Edgewood condo and then informed a neighbor, who then dialed 911.
According to the investigators, the 14-year-old girl maintained her composure, rescued her brothers, and informed an adult.
Deputy sheriffs from Harford County arrived first and shut the front door, which ultimately stopped any further harm from occurring, according to the investigators.
Despite the fact that firefighters were able to restrict the majority of the fire to the kitchen, the rest of the house sustained substantial damage from heat, soot, and smoke.
There were five members of the family who were displaced from their house and received assistance from Harford County Disaster Assistance.
Within fifteen minutes, the fire was brought under control by the firefighters. The estimation of the damage to the structure and the things inside was seventy-five thousand dollars.
How do you prevent air fryer fires?
For the purpose of preventing fires, it is essential to do maintenance on your air fryer.
According to CNET, regularly cleaning the heating coils of the air fryer and cleaning the basket of the air fryer after each usage are two of the most important things to do in order to prevent grease fires.
According to the Food Safety and Inspection Services, water should never be used to put out a fire that is caused by grease. Make use of a fire extinguisher designed for use in kitchens, or cover the fryer with a metal lid, and then dial 911.
It is also important to avoid leaving the air fryer unattended or overcrowding the basket of the air fryer.
The recall of air fryers
Cosori, a well-known manufacturer of kitchen appliances, issued a recall of two million air fryers in February 2023. The recall came after the company received 205 reports of air fryers catching fire, burning, melting, overheating, and smoking, all of which led to injuries, including superficial burn injuries, as well as damage to property.
Because the fryers have a wire connection that is prone to overheating, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission has strongly recommended that consumers immediately stop using the items. This is because there is a possibility that the fryers could catch fire and cause consumers to burn or otherwise be injured.
“After a thorough investigation, we determined that in extremely rare circumstances, the closed-end crimp connectors within the recalled air fryers — which are responsible for establishing electrical connections between certain wires — can overheat, posing fire and burn hazards,” Cosori stated in a statement that was posted on its website.