Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

As cooking becomes an increasingly frequent part of daily life and Taiwan’s population continues to age, kitchen fire safety has become an important aspect of household disaster prevention. According to statistics made from January to July in 2026 by Taipei City Fire Department, a total of 603 fires have broken out. Of these, 116 fires, or 19.2%, were caused by cooking with a stove, making it the second leading cause of fires. These incidents resulted in seven injuries, highlighting the significant safety risks posed by negligence when using cooking appliances. At the end of August 2026, a fire occurred on Roosevelt Rd. Sec. 6 in Wenshan District after a person while cooking temporarily left the kitchen without turning off the burner. The food was burned and caused a fire. An investigation found that the household’s gas stove was not equipped with a safety device featuring dry-boil/overheating protection and automatic flame shut-off, which led to the incident.

The Fire Department notes that common causes of kitchen fires include leaving the kitchen temporarily while cooking, forgetting to turn off the heat source, or elderly people forgetting that food is still being heated. These situations can cause food to burn or ignite grease accumulated in range hoods and exhaust ducts or other combustible materials nearby. In addition, spilled soup or liquids may extinguish the flame, resulting in an unnoticed gas leak. If a fire is not detected promptly, flames can quickly spread via grease-laden exhaust ducts, potentially causing serious property damage and casualties.

To enhance household and cooking safety, the Fire Department urges the public to follow the following “Complete Kitchen Fire Safety Guide”:

1.    Turn Off the Burner When You Leave: When cooking, always turn off the heat source before leaving the kitchen, even if you only need to walk away briefly.

2.    Choose Safer Cooking Equipment: Consider using a gas stove equipped with automatic flame shut-off or dry-boil/overheating protection. A gas supply timer can also be installed to automatically cut off the gas supply after a preset period has passed, reducing the risk of fires caused by forgetting to turn off the stove or prolonged heating.

3.    Clean Grease Regularly: Grease accumulated in range hoods and exhaust ducts can serve as highly combustible fuel. Clean and maintain these areas regularly to prevent grease from being ignited when exposed to heat.

4.    Keep Combustibles Away from the Stove: Do not place paper, plastic bags, cooking oil, or other combustible materials around the stove.

5.    Install Residential Fire Alarms: A fixed-temperature residential fire alarm is recommended to install in kitchens to provide early warning when the ambient temperature is rising abnormally.

If a cooking-oil fire occurs, the Fire Department advises the public to quickly cover the pan with a lid, turn off the gas supply, and leave it undisturbed to cool. Never pour water onto an oil fire, as the encounter between boiling oil and cold water can trigger violent splattering and fuel the flames. For more information on disaster preparedness and household safety, please visit the Taipei Disaster Prevention Immediately Go website: