For a kitchen fire involving cooking oils, which extinguisher category is specifically designed?

• A. Class A extinguisher
• B. Class B extinguisher
• C. Class C extinguisher
• D. Class K extinguisher

Answer: (D)

Fires involving cooking oils need an extinguisher that specifically treats fats and oils. Water-based methods are dangerous here because oil floats on water and can splatter or spread the fire, and many standard extinguishers don’t cool the oil quickly enough. The Class K extinguisher uses a wet chemical agent (typically potassium acetate) that saponifies fats, turning the hot oil into a soapy layer. This blanket cools the surface, creates a barrier between fuel and air, and helps prevent reignition. It’s designed for kitchens with high-oil cooking, where such fires are most likely. Other extinguisher types address different hazards like ordinary combustibles, electrical fires, or other flammable liquids, but they don’t handle cooking-oil fires as effectively.