--- title: "Grease Fire Under or Inside a Range Hood: Causes and Fixes" description: "A range hood grease fire begins as a pan of oil that flares on the burner, then flame licks up toward the filters, or a glow and thick smoke appear behind the…" url: "https://rangehooderepair.center/problems/range-hood-grease-fire/" --- # Grease Fire Under or Inside a Range Hood A range hood grease fire begins as a pan of oil that flares on the burner, then flame licks up toward the filters, or a glow and thick smoke appear behind the mesh where years of cooking fat have built up. ## Burner off, everyone back, then the breaker Act first, book second: lid on the pan, burner off, never water, and out of the house with a 911 call if the fire has spread into the hood or the cabinets. After any fire that touched the hood, its breaker stays off and nobody cooks under it until the filters, the blower, the wiring and the duct have been looked at. ## What it usually means. Every pan of bacon, stir-fry or deep-fried food sends a fine mist of fat upward, and the hood exists to catch it. Most of that mist lands on the mesh or baffle filters, but some always slips past and coats the inside of the canopy, the blower wheel and the first feet of the duct. On a hood that has not had its filters washed for a long time, that coating turns into a fuel layer sitting right above the flame. A fire nearly always starts in the pan: oil left on high heat passes its smoke point and then ignites by itself. The fire services give the same short list for that moment. Turn the burner off, slide a lid or a baking sheet over the pan and leave it covered until it is completely cool, and never pour water on burning fat, because the water flashes to steam and throws the oil and the flame across the kitchen. If the fire climbs into the filters, the hood or the cabinets, stop fighting it: get everyone out, close the kitchen door behind you, and call 911 from outside. Afterward the hood stays off until it is inspected, because heat can melt wire insulation, warp the blower housing and leave smoldering grease inside the duct where nobody can see it. The 6 causes, cheapest first Answer these first 01 Did the flame stay in the pan, or did it reach the filters, the canopy or the cabinets beside the hood? 02 Is there smoke still coming from the filters or from the grille and seams of the hood after the pan fire went out? 03 Are the filters scorched, warped or melted, and is there soot on the ceiling or cabinet above the chimney cover? 04 When were the grease filters last washed, and when was the duct last looked at? 05 Does the hood show any damage now: a smell of hot plastic, lights that stay dark, a blower that makes a new sound? ## Check these before you book. Range hood grease fire: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything. 01 Turn the burner off, slide a lid or a baking sheet over the burning pan, and leave it covered until it is completely cool. 02 Never pour water on a grease fire, and never carry the burning pan to the sink or out the door. 03 If the flame reaches the filters, the hood or the cabinets, get everyone out, close the kitchen door behind you and call 911 from outside. ### Also worth checking - Once the fire is fully out, switch off the hood's breaker and leave the hood off until it has been inspected. - Take photos of the filters, the underside of the canopy and any soot, and note the model number from the label behind the filters. ## The causes, cheapest first. 6 things grease fire under or inside a range hood turns out to be, from oil in the pan overheated and caught to a hood too small or hung too low. [The cost guide](https://rangehooderepair.center/cost/) 1. 01 no repair ### Oil in the pan overheated and caught Frying oil left on a high flame, a pan boiled dry with fat in it, or a splash onto an open burner is the start of almost every kitchen fire. When the lid put it out and nothing above the pan was touched, the hood itself may be unharmed, but it still deserves a look before it runs. No repair: check it yourself 2. 02 low ### Grease-soaked filters took the flame Mesh filters that have not been washed for months hold a layer of fat that burns once flame reaches it. Filters that scorched, bent or lost their frame are replaced, not cleaned, and the canopy behind them is checked for grease that also burned. [Fixed by range hood filter and baffle service](https://rangehooderepair.center/services/range-hood-filter-and-baffle-service/) 3. 03 low to moderate ### Grease built up inside the canopy and blower Fat that gets past the filters coats the blower wheel, its housing and the inner walls of the canopy. After a fire that layer is cleaned out, and the wheel is checked for melted blades or a wheel that now wobbles. [Fixed by range hood blower motor repair](https://rangehooderepair.center/services/range-hood-blower-motor-repair/) 4. 04 moderate ### Heat damage to the wiring and the controls Flame at the underside of the hood reaches the light sockets, the switch module and the wires running to the blower. Brittle insulation, a switch that no longer clicks or lights that stay dark after the fire mean the electrical side is inspected before the breaker goes back on. [Book a diagnostic visit](https://rangehooderepair.center/services/diagnostic-visit/) 5. 05 moderate to highest ### A duct lined with years of fat A long or level duct run collects grease that never drains, and flame drawn into it can keep burning out of sight. Any sign of smoke from the ceiling, the chimney cover or the outside cap after the pan fire is out is a reason to call 911 again, and the duct is inspected before the hood returns to use. [Fixed by range hood damper and duct repair](https://rangehooderepair.center/services/range-hood-damper-and-duct-repair/) 6. 06 varies ### A hood too small or hung too low A canopy narrower than the burners, or one mounted lower than the maker's installation guide allows, sits in the heat plume of a big pan. It collects more grease and runs hotter; the fix is the right size and height, measured on a visit. [Book a diagnostic visit](https://rangehooderepair.center/services/diagnostic-visit/) [On a wall-mount range hood](https://rangehooderepair.center/types/wall-mount-range-hood-repair/) ## What else it could be. Most often confused with hot electrical or burning smell at the range hood, then grease or oily water dripping from the range hood. [All problems](https://rangehooderepair.center/problems/) Codes that come with it - [`Fan LED bar flashes slowly and fan speed cannot be changed` BEST · Mode, not a failure](https://rangehooderepair.center/error-codes/best-heat-sentry-fan-light-flashing/) - [`Speed 4 button flashing, speed 3 lit` BEST · Mode, not a failure](https://rangehooderepair.center/error-codes/best-speed-4-flashing/) - [`CArE` Elica · Heat and grease sensors](https://rangehooderepair.center/error-codes/elica-care/) - [`Motor stops during high-heat cooking` Sirius · Heat and grease sensors](https://rangehooderepair.center/error-codes/sirius-thermal-overload/) - [`Blower jumps from LOW to full power` Vent-A-Hood · Mode, not a failure](https://rangehooderepair.center/error-codes/vent-a-hood-sensasource-full-power/) Also related - [**Range Hood Runs but Barely Pulls Smoke** 7 causes](https://rangehooderepair.center/problems/range-hood-weak-suction/) Stop cooking under it ### Hot Electrical or Burning Smell at the Range Hood 6 causes ### Grease or Oily Water Dripping From the Range Hood 6 causes Stop cooking under it ### Sparks From a Range Hood Blower or Lights 6 causes ## The makes it happens on. 29 makes on this site; grease fire under or inside a range hood can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page. [All 29 brands](https://rangehooderepair.center/brands/) ## Grease Fire Under or Inside a Range Hood, where we come out. 9 metros, each with its own page. 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Is the hood safe to switch on again? Only if the flame never reached it. If the filters are scorched, the canopy is sooty or anything smells of hot plastic, leave the breaker off and have the hood inspected first. ### Why is water so dangerous on burning fat? Water sinks under the hot oil and turns to steam in an instant. The steam throws burning oil up and outward, which spreads the fire across the kitchen and onto whoever is standing near. ### Can a grease fire burn inside the duct without being seen? Yes. A duct that holds years of fat can keep smoldering after the pan is out. Smoke from the ceiling, the chimney cover or the outside cap means calling 911 again, not waiting. ### How can the next grease fire be prevented? Stay with any pan of hot oil, keep a lid within reach, wash the grease filters on schedule and run the hood on a higher speed while frying so the fat mist leaves the kitchen. --- **[Read on the site: Grease Fire Under or Inside a Range Hood: Causes and Fixes](https://rangehooderepair.center/problems/range-hood-grease-fire/)** **[Book a visit with RangeHoodeRepair.center](https://rangehooderepair.center/schedule/)**