Firefighters from Kittitas Valley Fire and Rescue are recommending using a “fire proof” paint in kitchens.
Fire Marshal Joe Seemiller said using intumescent paint in a kitchen could save homeowners money and prevent their home from burning.
Seemilller and Deputy Fire Marshal Josh Hink tested the paint Wednesday in a home owned by Kittitas County near the Kittitas Valley Event Center. They put a pot of burning gas, simulating burning oil, directly under cabinets and waited for the results.
One cabinet was treated with the fire-resistant paint, the other wasn’t.
“I wanted to do a more realistic test because 40 percent of the fires in your homes are right in your kitchen,” Seemiller said.
The results were clear; the intumescent paint works.
The fire burned under the outside corner the treated cabinet for about two minutes, but it didn’t catch fire.
The paint expanded and prevented damage to the cabinet.
“It looks pretty ugly when it’s done, but when you scrape it off, it’s clean wood underneath,” he said. “There’s going to be some smoke damage — and smoke damage can be quite expensive — but you’re not going to lose your house.”
Seemiller said all someone would need to do is sand down the cabinet and refinish it.