Food Safety after a Fire: What to Keep and What to Toss
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University of California
COOPERATIVE EXTENSION
County of San Diego
Patti Wooten Swanson, PH.D.
Nutrition, Family, and Consumer Science Advisor
University of California Cooperative Extension
San Diego County
After a fire people try to save what they can. Food may look okay and it is
tempting to save it. However, saving food that's been in a fire is not a good idea.
Three factors can affect the safety of food that has been exposed to fire -- the
heat of the fire, smoke fumes, and chemicals used to put out the fire.
Heat Can Cause Food to Spoil
If commercial- or home- canned foods were close to the heat of a fire, they
may not be safe to eat. Certain bacteria that cause food to spoil are activated
only at high temperatures. Under normal circumstances these bacteria do not
affect cans or jars of food. However, the extreme heat of the fire may cause the
bacteria to grow and contaminate the contents. Intense heat may also cause the
cans or jars to break and make the food unsafe to eat.
Home-canned foods pose an additional risk. The high temperatures of a
fire can cause the lids of home-canned foods to come unsealed and let bacteria
get into the food. When the air temperature drops, the jar lids may "seal" again
making them appear unaffected. The jars look okay, but the food is unsafe to eat.
Toxic Fumes and Chemicals Can Contaminate Food
Chemicals used to fight fires contain toxic materials that cannot be
washed off of food. All foods that have been exposed to chemicals should be
thrown away. Burning materials release toxic fumes that can contaminate food,
tableware, and cookware. However, canned goods and cookware that have been
exposed to toxic fumes or chemicals can be decontaminated.
Follow These Guidelines to Insure Food Safety
Packaged food. Throw away food stored in permeable containers such
as cardboard, plastic wrap, and screw-topped jars because they may have been
damaged by the heat. Toxic fumes and chemicals can also get into the
packaging and contaminate food.
Canned foods. Discard home canned goods. They may look okay, but it
is not possible to determine if heat broke the seal and spoilage occurred.
Commercially canned foods can be decontaminated. However, get rid of any
commercially canned food that smells or looks spoiled when you open it, since it
may be heat damaged.
Refrigerated or frozen food. Check the refrigerator and freezer for off
odors. Because door seals on these appliances are not airtight, fumes can
contaminate the foods inside. Get rid of foods that have off odors or flavors.
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Food stored at room temperature. Dispose of raw foods that were
stored outside the refrigerator, such as potatoes, onions, or fruit. Fumes or
chemicals could have contaminated them.
Decontaminate canned goods and cookware. First, wash them in a
strong detergent solution. Then soak in a bleach solution (1 teaspoon bleach per
quart of water) for 15 minutes. Wash, rinse, and air dry.
References:
Colorado State University Cooperative Extension. (Updated 9/07). Food Safety
Issues After a Fire. http://www.ext.colostate.edu/drought/foodsafety.html
Food Safety and Inspection Service. (Last Modified September 6, 2006). Keeping
Food Safe During an Emergency.
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/pubs/pofeature.htm
Scott, D. and Stark, C. (January 1998). Food Safety and Natural Disasters.
Cornell Cooperative Extension. http://www.cce.cornell.edu/counties/Erie/foodsafety.html#fire