Grilling Safety

Five percent of outside or unclassified grill fires in Raleigh occurred in a lawn, field, or open area.

From the 2018 Fire Prevention Code: 308.1.4: Open-flame cooking devices: Charcoal burners and other open-flame cooking devices shall not be operated on combustible balconies or within 10 feet (3048 mm) of combustible construction.

Exceptions:

One- and two-family dwellings.
Where buildings, balconies and decks are protected by an automatic sprinkler system.
Liquefied-petroleum-gas-fueled cooking devices. LP-gas burners having an LP-gas container with a water capacity not greater than 2.5 pounds [nominal 1 pound (0.454 kg) LP-gas capacity]

Make sure to do the following in order to prevent a grill fire:

Placement of Grill
Place grill on a non-combustible surface. Make sure your grill is 10 feet away from any structures.

Starting your grill
How to get your fire started will depend on your fuel type:

Charcoal	Propane
There are several ways to get the charcoal ready to use. Charcoal chimney starters allow you to ignite the charcoal using newspaper as a fuel: If you use a charcoal chimney, use a long match to avoid burning your fingers when lighting the paper. If you choose to use lighter fluid, use only fluid intended for charcoal grills. Never add charcoal starter fluid to coals or kindling that has already been ignited. Never use gasoline or any other flammable liquid except charcoal starter or lighter fluid to start a charcoal fire.	Always follow your manufacturer’s instructions. Check all your gas lines for leaks with soapy water. Open the lid before turning on the grill. Turn on the propane tank. Turn on the knobs of the grill burner. Light a propane grill only with the cover open. If the flame on the propane grill goes out, turn the grill and gas off and wait at least 5 minutes before relighting.

Charcoal

Propane

There are several ways to get the charcoal ready to use. Charcoal chimney starters allow you to ignite the charcoal using newspaper as a fuel:

If you use a charcoal chimney, use a long match to avoid burning your fingers when lighting the paper.
If you choose to use lighter fluid, use only fluid intended for charcoal grills.
Never add charcoal starter fluid to coals or kindling that has already been ignited.
Never use gasoline or any other flammable liquid except charcoal starter or lighter fluid to start a charcoal fire.

Always follow your manufacturer’s instructions.
Check all your gas lines for leaks with soapy water.
Open the lid before turning on the grill.
Turn on the propane tank.
Turn on the knobs of the grill burner.
Light a propane grill only with the cover open. If the flame on the propane grill goes out, turn the grill and gas off and wait at least 5 minutes before relighting.

While Cooking

Place the grill a safe distance from lawn games, play areas, and foot traffic.
Keep children and pets, and anything that can burn like food wrappers, an oven mitt or towel, at least 3-feet away from open flames and the grill.
Use long-handled grilling tools to give the chef plenty of clearance from heat and flames.
Always have an adult present when grilling. You should never leave cooking/grilling unattended!

Shutting down propane grill
To keep excess gas from leaking, turn the gas tank off first and then turn off the grill burners.

Dispose of charcoal after cooking

Empty the coals into a metal container with a tight-fitting lid that is used only to collect coals.
Place the container outside and away from anything that can burn.
Never empty coals directly into a trash can.

Additional Resources

NFPA Grilling Safety Information

How to search for gas leaks

Contact

fireprevention@raleighnc.gov
919-996-6115

Department:: Fire

Service Categories:: Fire Education

Related Services:: How To Prevent a Fire

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