Grease Fire in the Grill That Won't Die Down

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.