Man serves food from grill to friend.

Chillin’ and grillin’: Check out our safety tips for outdoor grilling with charcoal and gas

Avoid some common grilling dangers.

Gas and charcoal grills can be great for family cookouts and summer meals. But each year they can also cause fires, emergency room visits and property damage.

Grill safety statistics

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), approximately 9,500 people are burned from grill fires or hot grills each year, and 22,155 patients went to emergency rooms because of injuries involving grills between 2017 and 2021. During that same timeframe, grill fires also caused the highest average financial loss per home structure fire with $28,500 of damage on average.

Some of the leading causes of grilling-related fires are:

  • Failure to clean grills
  • Placing the grill too close to a structure
  • Leaving the grill unattended
  • Gas leaks or breaks

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, fire departments responded to 170,000 home cooking fires in 2021. These fires caused an estimated 135 deaths, 3,000 injuries and over $494 million in property loss.

Tips for maintaining your grill

  • Check the gas lines. The leading cause of gas grill fires is a fuel line leak or break.
  • Inspect the lines for cracking, sharp bends and brittleness. Checking and maintaining your grill can be important.
    • Rub soapy water on the line and look for bubbling to test for leaks.
  • Clean your grill.
    • Remove any stuck-on char.
    • Clean grates and grease pans to prevent flare-ups.
    • Wait 48 hours before disposing of charcoal ashes.

Grilling safety tips

  • Grill in well-ventilated areas. Use your grill outside in a space with plenty of room and air flow. Carbon monoxide-related fatalities may be prevented by not grilling inside a home, tent, vehicle or camper.
  • Wear proper clothing.
    • Avoid wearing loose clothing.
    • Roll up your sleeves.
    • Pull back long hair.
    • Tie and secure apron strings.
  • Keep a fire extinguisher within close reach. Have a fire extinguisher close by and know how to use it.
  • Use combustibles cautiously. Help prevent fires by keeping combustibles a safe distance from the grill.
    • Keep lighter fluids capped.
    • Never add lighter fluid to hot coals.
    • Never use gasoline or kerosene as a starter fluid.
  • Create a safe zone around the grill. Young children account for many visits to the emergency room resulting from grill contact burns.
  • Grill at least 10 feet away from buildings. If you're too close, it's possible for hot embers or sparks to catch the house on fire.
  • Don't leave a grill unattended.
  • Avoid grilling while intoxicated. Consuming alcohol while grilling can be dangerous and is a risk for accidents.

Outdoor grilling tips

  • See that the grill is placed on a flat surface.
  • Keep a spray bottle of water nearby to help control any flare-ups.
  • Position your grill a safe distance away from nearby structures, branches, play areas or foot traffic.
  • Keep children, pets and anything that can act as tinder, such as paper or cotton-based products, away from the grill’s vicinity.
  • It is not recommended to use a gas or charcoal grill on a wooden surface such as a wooden deck; however, if a grill is used on such surfaces, there are heat/fire-resistant mats to place the grill on that may help reduce the risk of fire.

Charcoal vs. gas grill safety

Charcoal grill safety

  • When shopping for supplies, choose lighter fluids that specifically mention charcoal.
  • Avoid using starter fluid after the fire has ignited. Instead, consider using charcoal or dry kindling if the flames seem to be diminishing.
  • If you have a metal grill, look for rust damage to help prevent hot charcoal from falling out of the grill.
  • Charcoal grills stay hot for hours after extinguishing the flames, so keep flammable objects away during this period.

Gas grill safety

  • Open the grill lid before turning on the gas. If you don’t, the gas may build up and explode once ignited.
  • If you can smell gas when there’s no flame, close the gas tank and turn off the grill. If the smell persists, call the fire department. Alternatively, if you smell gas when cooking with a flame, move away immediately and call the fire department.
  • Remember to keep the gas valve tightly closed when you’re finished, and if applicable, close the propane tank.
  • Store the grill outside and away from your home.

Safe temperatures to cook your food

FoodSafety.gov has a grilling temperature chart for guidance. Use a food thermometer to check that the temperature matches the suggested ranges.

  • 145 degrees Fahrenheit — whole cuts of beef, pork, lamb and veal (with three minutes rest before carving or eating).
  • 145 degrees Fahrenheit — fish (or until the flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork).
  • 160 degrees Fahrenheit — hamburgers and other ground meats.
  • 165 degrees Fahrenheit — all poultry and pre-cooked meats, like hot dogs.

After grilling, keep all foods at 140 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer until served.

Now that you’ve learned some outdoor safety tips, remember that practicing fire safety inside your home is also important. To help protect your home, you can get a homeowners insurance quote now, or give us a few details and a State Farm® agent will reach out to you.

The information in this article was obtained from various sources not associated with State Farm® (including State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates). While we believe it to be reliable and accurate, we do not warrant the accuracy or reliability of the information. State Farm is not responsible for, and does not endorse or approve, either implicitly or explicitly, the content of any third party sites that might be hyperlinked from this page. The information is not intended to replace manuals, instructions or information provided by a manufacturer or the advice of a qualified professional, or to affect coverage under any applicable insurance policy. These suggestions are not a complete list of every loss control measure. State Farm makes no guarantees of results from use of this information.

State Farm Fire and Casualty Company
State Farm General Insurance Company
Bloomington, IL

State Farm Florida Insurance Company
Tallahassee, FL

State Farm Lloyds
Richardson, TX

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