--- title: "Grease Fire in the Grill That Won't Die Down: Causes and Fixes" description: "A grease fire in grill fireboxes is flame that keeps burning after the food is off: a blaze from the drip tray, a sheet of fire under the grates, or thick smoke…" url: "https://bbqgrillrepair.center/problems/grill-grease-fire/" --- # Grease Fire in the Grill That Won't Die Down A grease fire in grill fireboxes is flame that keeps burning after the food is off: a blaze from the drip tray, a sheet of fire under the grates, or thick smoke pouring out around the lid. ## Gas smell? Knobs off, tank shut, lid up, step back A grease fire that will not die down comes before everything else: gas off at the tank or shutoff, knobs off, lid closed only if it is safe, never water, and 911 if it spreads. Do not relight until the grill has been inspected, even if it looks fine once cool. ## What it usually means. Every gas grill collects fat. It drips past the grates onto the flavorizer bars, briquettes or radiants above the burners, and whatever does not vaporize runs down the sloped firebox floor to a drain slot, a grease tray and a small cup. A flare-up is some of that fat catching for a moment; a grease fire is the whole store lighting at once. It is fed by a tray nobody emptied since spring, a clogged slot that let fat pool in the bottom of the firebox, or a thick crust on the heat shields. It usually starts at high heat, often during a lid-down preheat, and it does not stop when the food comes off because the fuel sits below the burners, not on the grates. Water spreads burning fat and must never be used. The gas goes off at the tank or the shutoff and every knob goes off; the lid comes down only if it can be closed without reaching into flame, which starves the fire of air. If flame leaves the grill or reaches the island, a cover, a fence or the house, call 911. Once it is out and cold, the grill needs checking before it is lit again, because heat that fierce can crack knobs, cook the hose and warp the shields. The 6 causes, cheapest first Answer these first 01 When were the tray and drip cup last emptied, and was the firebox floor scraped this season? 02 Did the fire start during a lid-down preheat, or while fatty food was cooking? 03 Is the flame inside the firebox only, or also at the tray or under the control panel? 04 Are knobs, the hose or the cart melted or scorched now that it is out? 05 Has this grill had a fire like this before? ## Check these before you book. Grease fire in grill: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything. 01 Close the propane tank valve or the gas shutoff and turn every knob off, only if you can reach them without leaning over the fire. 02 Never throw water on it; lower the lid only if you can do so without reaching into flame, then step back. 03 Call 911 the moment fire leaves the grill or reaches the island, a cover, siding or anything nearby. ### Also worth checking - Keep everyone back until the flame is out and the firebox is cold, and leave the tray where it is until then. - Keep the gas closed and the grill unlit until knobs, hose and wiring have been checked on a visit. ## The causes, cheapest first. 6 things grease fire in the grill that won't die down turns out to be, from grease tray and cup left full for months to a firebox or cart warped past saving. [The cost guide](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/cost/) 1. 01 no repair ### Grease tray and cup left full for months A tray untouched since last season is a shallow pan of fuel right under the burners. Emptying it once cold, and using the maker's liner where one is sold, prevents most of these fires. No repair: check it yourself 2. 02 no repair ### Fatty food cooked over every burner on high Burgers, thighs and sausages over full flame send fat straight onto hot bars. A lower setting and one burner left off, so food can be moved away from the drips, keeps a flare from growing. No repair: check it yourself 3. 03 low ### Drain slot choked so fat pools in the firebox When the opening that leads to the tray fills with carbon, fat collects on the firebox floor beneath the burners. A cleaning visit clears the channel and scrapes the pan. [Fixed by grill cleaning and safety inspection](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/services/grill-cleaning-and-safety-inspection/) 4. 04 low to moderate ### Heat shields and briquettes soaked in old fat Flavorizer bars, ceramic briquettes and radiant plates hold grease once they crust over. Badly soaked or cracked pieces are replaced rather than scraped. [Fixed by grill heat shield and grate replacement](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/services/grill-heat-shield-and-grate-replacement/) 5. 05 moderate ### Knobs, hose or wiring cooked by the fire After a hot fire the plastic knobs, the igniter wires and the hose near the tray are inspected, and anything heat-damaged is replaced before the gas is opened again. [Fixed by grill valve and regulator repair](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/services/grill-valve-and-regulator-repair/) 6. 06 varies ### A firebox or cart warped past saving A long fire in a thin-walled cart grill can buckle the firebox and melt the cart panels. The visit weighs a repair against a new grill. [Book a diagnostic visit](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/services/diagnostic-visit/) [On a freestanding gas grill](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/types/freestanding-gas-grill-repair/) ## What else it could be. Most often confused with grill flare-ups every time food hits the grates, then grill flashback: flames behind the knobs or under the panel. [All problems](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/problems/) Codes that come with it - [`Warning icon` Broil King · Temperature and probes](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/broil-king-warning-icon/) - [`OH` Fire Magic · Controller and display](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/fire-magic-oh/) - [`E5` Weber · Temperature and probes](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/weber-e5/) - [`Overheat Alarm` Coyote · Temperature and probes](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/coyote-overheat-alarm/) Also related - [**Grill Uneven Heat: Hot Spots and Cold Corners on the Grates** 6 causes](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/problems/grill-uneven-heat/) ### Grill Flare-Ups Every Time Food Hits the Grates 6 causes Gas or fire at the grill ### Grill Flashback: Flames Behind the Knobs or Under the Panel 6 causes Gas or fire at the grill ### Grill Gas Smell at the Burners or the Tank: What to Do Now 6 causes ## The makes it happens on. 23 makes on this site; grease fire in the grill that won't die down can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page. [All 23 brands](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/brands/) ## Grease Fire in the Grill That Won't Die Down, where we come out. 9 metros, each with its own page. 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A dry-chemical extinguisher rated for grease and flammable liquid fires is a sensible thing to have on the patio. Use it only from a safe distance and only if you know how; otherwise step back and call 911. ### Will closing the grill lid put a grease fire out? Closing it cuts the air and often calms the fire, but only if it can be done without reaching into flame. Water must never go near it. ### Why did the fire start while the grill was only preheating? A lid-down preheat on high warms the old fat in the tray and on the shields until it lights by itself. An empty tray and scraped bars before the first cook of the day prevent it. ### The knobs look fine after the fire. Can we keep grilling? Wait for a check. The heat that softens a knob also reaches the hose and the igniter wires behind the panel, and damage there cannot be seen from the front. --- **[Read on the site: Grease Fire in the Grill That Won't Die Down: Causes and Fixes](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/problems/grill-grease-fire/)** **[Book a visit with BBQGrillRepair.center](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/schedule/)**