The La Crosse Fire Department has been installing new burners on stoves in public housing. The burners will cook people’s holiday dinners without the danger of fires.
SmartBurners prevent cooking oils from reaching a temperature in which they catch on fire. “Most of the cooking fires we see are the result of cooking oils getting to the point where they auto ignite,” said Pat Corran, the Fire Department’s community risk educator.
Firefighters replaced traditional coil burners with the new burners after the department noticed a trend of calls involving house fires. Many of the fires started because of unattended stove tops.
“People put something on the stove top, kids get in the way, life gets in the way, phone gets in the way,” Corran said. “They leave the kitchen and then they’re not there to smell that oil is starting to look like it might catch. Then they come back and they have a fire on their hands.”