Every year dozens of homes are destroyed by fires that start while cooking on decks. After reading a friends blog the other day about a grease fire they had on their grill I thought I’d take the time to remind folks of the dangers that cooking on decks can pose.

Grilling on your deck can be a very enjoyable way to spend time with family and friends. It’s important to take precautions while grilling, cooking or frying on a deck or patio adjacent to your home. Keep your grill a safe distance away from siding, railings and other flammable materials.

If you get a grease fire in your gas grill it could easily get out of control and catch your deck or house on fire. I would suggest keeping your grill 4 to 5 feet away from any structure while cooking. Make sure you attend the grill at all times to ensure things don’t get out of control. It’s also important to keep proper fire extinguishers on hand in the event you do have a fire.

One of the scariest things you can do is using a large fryer to cook a turkey on a deck. Numerous serious fires have been started when unattended cooking oil boils over and ignites into an inferno like the one pictured above. I would not recommend EVER cooking with a large fryer on your deck. It’s much safer to use a fryer out in the open on a driveway a safe distance away from flammable materials.

So next time you fire up the grill and cook something on your deck please be careful and enjoy yourself.

Todd Fratzel

I'm full time builder for a large construction company in New Hampshire. I run their design-build division that specializes in custom homes, commercial design-build projects and sub-divisions. I'm also a licensed civil and structural engineer with extensive experience in civil and structural design and home construction. My hope is that I can share my experience in the home construction, home improvement and home renovation profession with other builders and home owners. I'm also the Editor-in-Chief and Founder of Tool Box Buzz. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, suggestions or you'd like to inquire about advertising on this site.

View Comments

  • You also should consider keeping a fire extinguisher close by and making sure that everyone knows where it is kept and if you have a gas grill periodically you should check for leaks.

    No one ever thinks that it is going to happen to them - until it does. Good post!

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