So I was out with the dogs in the back yard when I heard the little older lady next door go "oh, OH! Oh NO!  OH MY GOD!"  I looked over and her stainless widebody gas grill was a fucking inferno.   Flames 3 feet high.

Ran over, to see.   She had turned off the burners, but the fucking thing was just raging on!

The fire was coming from the pan underneath the burner areas, the big flat slanted pan that funnels grease to a little tin can for disposal.

The paint on the bottom part was starting to peel.  I decided it would be best to get the propane tank out of there, and did so (quickly!)

By this time little old lady was back outside with a glassof water and before I could tell her "nyet" she poured it on.

The blast of flame was incredible and I barely got backed off with my eyebrows intact.

By this time, the wife unit had joined the fun and I had her run back to our house and get the tub of kitty litter, which made short work of the fire.

Here's what happened:   The crusts and leavings of years of meals, when scrubbed from the grill by the brush, had collected on this pan beneath the burners and grill, along with leaves and (it looks like) a pretty sizeable wasp's nest.   This detritus was saturated in grease.   Today was the day that grease started.   When it cools of I'll know more, but I'd guess over 2 cm of gunk down there which soaked up a lot of grease.   It didn't help that the mess had blocked the drain from the pan to the hanging grease can.  

The lady said the fire blew up in less than a minute.  I'd say it burned 2 or 3 minutes before we put cat litter on it.

So, make sure you guys who use one of these gas grills clean that pan out every year.  This could have been super bad... the bottom of the pan was just 3 or 4 inches from the propane tank below.   This grill looks to have the hose from the tank attaching to a metal connector exterior of the fire pan area, so its likely there's not damage to the fuel delivery system or burners...  but her bratwursts were, ah, VERY well done.

Be safe everyone.

Ya, that happens.  lol

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Tru dat, yep.  Almost the exact same thing happened to me while preheating for a nice sear.  

A garden hose with WIDE spray in short bursts to the underside worked fine.  Removing a portion of the fire triangle (heat) and all that.

SCIENCE, BITCHES!  

Mine did that once.  

Looked like a big wall of flames.


I got to use the fire extinguisher though.  Now I have a Big Green egg, so no need to worry about a greasy drip pan.

Cleaned out the crusties under my grilling surface last week, with a shop vac--very quick.

I think the squirrels under my porch get at the grease pan on my grill and keep it clean.

Or were they possums...

Mine drains to earth as God intended

Cleaned mine yesterday along with the grate since I had my pressure washer already since I was washing my truck

Every spring.

gas.....hahaha.

Charcoal here, I can't particularly identify with you.


That little grease trap is worthless. Upgrade to a coffee can.

Is yours a single or double wide?

Serious question- how long does it take you to get a charcoal fire to a stable temp?



I like gas because it's quick and consistent, so if someone can show me how to do that with charcoal I'm all ears.



 

Good post nag. I learned this lesson many years ago. But then I'm an older fart now with muchos years under my belt. Don't ask me how I learned.

Listen to the young Jedi.

Why did you put it out?  Let that fucker burn, and all the grease will be gone when the fire goes out.  No cleaning required.  

I clean mine every time I use it. Before I even turn on the gas, I take the pan out and spray it off with a garden hose. (I have an area of dirt which isn't going to get harmed with a bit of food/grease residue being dumped onto it.)

good news then .....


good quick thinking - well done

Had that happen while cooking a steak.  Watched the temp go from about 400 to over 550 in about 1 second.  Shut off the grill and took the steak off and let the grease burn off.

That steak was delicious.

Propane fire is rookie fire.

I did a concrete restoration project where 100# propylene bottles cooked off. The tanks were launching off a loading dock, hitting and burning a common wall to the charging area at a gas plant.

If I need a stable temp, it's because I'm smoking something for hours and it might take a half hour for the temp to settle in once the coals are all lit. Not a big deal. Wife loves gas, naturally, because it's quick and takes as little effort as possible. Of course, if she had her way, she'd cook everything in the microwave. If I'm doing burgers or a steak on the grill, I want it real hot for a sear and then I'll move the meat away from the coals a bit to an area that's not as hot.



 

I guess I need to give charcoal another try, I'm probably doing it wrong.



 

Cuz he wanted grilled cat shit for dinner?  The dogs love it!

Using a decent charcoal grill along with a charcoal starter makes a difference too. I prefer the 22' weber kettle, but thats just my preference. Once you get a little experience with the chimney starter, you'll know how much charcoal to use to maintain a good temp.

Humble hero thread.

One more positive for a Charcoal Grill.

With one of the chimney things you can get the charcoal going in no time.

I did that once and had dark, black smoke filling the backyard.  Mine was from chicken I cooked the week before.

I knew better than to use water.  I had a tub of baking soda in a pan in the freezer.  It make quick work of the fire and I hosed it all off afterwards.  

I have done that with a charcoal grill too.  Chicken grease was cooked on the side of the Weber kettle and lit off.  

I had this happen to me, if it wasn't for my kid telling me there was 5' flames shooting out of the grill while I was inside I probably would have caught the house on fire.  I keep the grill normally  about 10 feet from the house but it was massive and hot, had a hose nearby and doused it, my grill is a little warped from that event.

It rains a lot where I live. While the pan does get some fat drippings, the rain seeps into the grill and floods the grease pan with water staining the gravel underneath.
Also another good reason to keep it clean: I've thrown out a grill mice nested in. They used the fat and bbq sauce runoff as a food source.

Yeah sucks when that happens.

A better reason to clean it regularly is that if chunks of food get down there you'll get rats (and rat shit) down there.

She saw that wasp nest and had to get it on.

Ewww.   No,nonononono..... !!!!!!

Brand new completely "virgin" clay cat litter was used.   What do you think I am, some kind of a fucking savage?  Can you imagine the SMELL of burning cat shit... gah!

I will from now on... forgot about mine for a couple years until last summer when I moved it which disturbed the full collection pan... it spilled all over inside the compartment under the grill and the smell almost made me vomit, It was tough cleaning that crap up.  Never thought of it possibly igniting though, thanks for the reminder.

Ya, that shit will happen. Grease fires are a bitch.

I completely clean/scrape my grill twice a year to avoid such nonsense.