Grease fires normally start when you leave a pan or utensil on the stove and forget about it. And, in the worst scenario, with oil in it. This is a high probability case and a perfectly cooked recipe for a disaster waiting to happen.
Maintenance: Clean the stove at least once a week. This will help you degrease the burners of any leftover oil or other substances that would have spilled while cooking. Doing this also helps you to improve the efficiency of the burners as it frees the pores of the burner from any obstruction.
Knowledge: Read the heat ratings of the oil. Various qualities of oil will have different flash points. As a rule of thumb, switch of the stove or carefully remove the utensil from the stove when you see smoke emanating from the utensil. The smoke is an indicator that the oil has almost reached its flash point and will catch fire if you do not take corrective action.
Avoidance: Avoid heating the utensil without introducing the food in the mixture. If the oil needs to be hot, before cooking then stay in front of the stove and make sure that the oil does not enter the flash point. Another method is to ensure that there is a lid on the top of the utensil.
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Read the steps below in the unfortunate event a fire has started and you need to douse it.
Call 911 and while you wait for assistance, you can perform the following steps.
Primarily switch of the burner. If you cannot do that, then try to shut the valve in the Gas line.
Try to cover the utensil with a top. This should help in avoiding an oxygen supply and cut of the fire.
If you were unable to cover the utensil, then the next alternative would be to pour baking soda over the fire. Pour lots of it. Baking soda tries to smother the flame however; it is effective only if you have a small sized flame.
You can also use cooking salt to douse the fire. In fact, it is a better option as it acts an excellent heat absorber. It cools the temperature around the fire thereby finally dousing it.
Do Not pour water over the fire. The science behind it is that the water is lighter than oil and it sinks below the oil. The water then superheats to become steam and pushes its way out carrying and splattering oil everywhere.
Do Not swing a cloth at the fire assuming it will put out the fire. You would be actually stoking the fire by fanning it and pulling in more oxygen to the flame.
Do Not try to move the utensil from its position, you risk burning yourself and spreading the fire.