A ball of flames came off a pan of burning cooking oil during a fire safety demonstration at the Marshall Fire Department's annual open house. Lt. Justin Staeffler of the MFD showed that water does not put out grease fires.

MARSHALL — Food and fire safety came together at the Marshall Fire Department’s open house this year. Kids and families gathered outside the fire hall, as firefighters lit the burner on a mock-up of a gas stove.

“We wanted to try something a little different this year,” Fire Chief Quentin Brunsvold told the crowd. Part of the open house was a demonstration of a kitchen grease fire.

As the crowd waited, a pan on the stovetop heated up, and cooking oil inside the pan caught fire. While wearing his turnout gear for safety, Lt. Justin Staeffler of the MFD demonstrated what happens if you put water on a grease fire.

“Did it make a big fireball?” Brunsvold asked.

“Yeah!” answered kids in the audience.

Instead of water, Brunsvold said you can put baking soda on a grease fire, or put a tight-fitting metal lid on the pan.

Thursday’s open house at the fire hall was one of the events hosted by the MFD for Fire Prevention Week. It’s a chance for the community to get to know their firefighters. It was good “just being able to come to the fire station and see people,” Brunsvold said. But the fire department also took the opportunity to educate the public.

Brunsvold said the MFD found the kitchen fire demonstration trailer used at this year’s open house through the Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Association. It was a good example to share with people – kitchen fires are the number one cause of house fires, he said. The MFD responds to reports of smoke or fire from cooking a few times a month, Brunsvold estimated.

The MFD was also spreading the word about safely charging lithium-ion batteries. The theme of this year’s Fire Prevention Week is “Charge Into Fire Safety.”

Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries can be found in everything from smartphones to laptops and power tools. But if they’re not correctly used, the batteries can overheat and start a fire. When charging a battery-powered product, Brunsvold said it’s important to use the chargers and charging cables that came with it. If you buy a battery-powered product, it’s also important to check to see if it is listed or certified by a recognized safety company like Underwriters Laboratories, he said.