Claim: A video shows kitchen staff mishandling a fire at Foods Inn, in Karachi resulting in a fire at the restaurant.
Fact: The video initially surfaced on social media as early as 2020 and is unrelated to the recent incident at the restaurant in Karachi.
A Facebook post (archive) shared CCTV footage claiming to show an incident in the Kitchen that resulted in a fire at Foods Inn restaurant, where a junior chef mistakenly added water to hot frying oil, causing a dangerous flare-up.
Mian Sarmad Saeed Shah, Manager Technical Liaison at K-Electric also shared the video (archive) on LinkedIn, writing: “Recenty Fire incident occured in Karachi due to lack of fire safety training of staff of that restaurant.
The facts are, when cooking oil in a frying pan reaches temperatures between 250 to 300 degrees Celsius, it can start releasing vapors that may ignite. If water— which boils at 100 degrees Celsius— is poured over the flames, it rapidly turns into steam, creating a fireball up to ten times larger than the pan. This fireball can spread the flames throughout the kitchen or room, putting the person who poured the water at severe risk of being burned.
The correct method is to first cut off the fuel source (gas/oil or electricity) and then use a fire blanket or fire extinguisher to put out the flames. It’s also essential for commercial kitchens to have an automatic fire suppression system installed in the kitchen hood. Furthermore, fire safety and prevention training is necessary for everyone.”
The video was shared across social media platforms, with claims that a lack of fire safety training and staff negligence led to the fire.
Fire at Foods Inn
On 10 October a fire broke out at a restaurant in the Sindhi Muslim Society, Karachi, causing extensive property damage, according to several news media outlets. Citing fire brigade officials, The Express Tribune reported that five fire engines were deployed to the scene to control the blaze. Fire Officer Zafar Khan informed the media that the fire was reported shortly after 12:30 PM, and firefighters managed to contain about 80% of it, the report added.
According to The News, all restaurant staff were safely evacuated. The fire brigade stated that the blaze originated on the first floor and partially spread to other floors, the report added.
The News report stated that the exact cause of the fire had not been determined at the time. However, Rescue-1122 official Hassaan Khan told Dawn that the fire erupted in the restaurant at around 12 noon, but they received information at around 1:4pm, according to Dawn. The fire started on the first floor due to a short circuit and soon engulfed the three-story building of the eatery. Mr Khan opined that the blaze spread rapidly because inflammable material was used in the air condition duct and the whole structure of the eating facility was made of wood, the report added.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check conducted a reverse-image search on keyframes from the video and found that it was shared on LinkedIn as early as 2020 by Inforisque.fr, along with the following caption translated from French:
“Never put water on flaming 😱 oil
🧐 It is important to know that an oil fire starts when the cooking oil is too hot. During heating, the oil first begins to boil, then smoke, and then ignite
👉 Proper maintenance and cleaning of fryers is essential for proper operation and prevention of misuse that could lead to a fire. It is important to inspect equipment regularly to ensure that you are up to current fire safety codes
Here are some tips if you encounter this kind of situation:
❌ Turn off gas or electricity on the stove
🧯 Use a fire extinguisher on your oil fire
😉 Wait until the container has cooled down and the heat is off before touching anything
⛔️ Never throw water on an oil fire
⛔️ Do not try to extinguish an oil fire with a towel, apron or any other clothing
✔️Attach a thermometer to the side to monitor the temperature of the oil
😇 Whenever you use boiling oil or fat, stay in the kitchen and be vigilant
hashtag#inforisque hashtag#safetyfirst hashtag#risque hashtag#sécurité hashtag#balancetonrisque hashtag#hse hashtag#qhse hashtag#sst”
The post does not specify the context or location of the video; however, the video was shared as early as 2020 with similar captions including here, here, and again in 2023 here on Facebook.
It was also shared here on Reddit three years ago, with the caption,: “How NOT to put out a kitchen fire 🔥”
These posts emphasise precautions against fire hazards and serve as reminders of what not to do when attempting to contain a kitchen fire.
While Soch Fact Check could not independently verify the video’s origin or context, its presence on the internet as early as 2020 confirms that it is unrelated to the recent fire at Foods Inn, Karachi.
Virality
The message we received on WhatsApp was labelled as ‘forwarded many times,’ indicating that it had gone viral in Pakistan at the very least.
The claim was shared here (archive) on Linkedin.
It was shared here, here, here, and here on Facebook.
It was also shared here on Instagram.
On YouTube, it was shared here and here
Conclusion: While posts claim that the video shows staff negligence leading to the recent fire at Foods Inn in Karachi, evidence revealed that the video first surfaced in 2020. It has resurfaced on social media in various contexts over the years which discredits its link to the recent fire in Karachi.
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Background image in cover photo: The News
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