Burgers and other foods grilled on charcoal and wood-fired grills have become very popular in many restaurants in Norway. Unfortunately, the fire service has experienced an increase in the number of fires associated with the use these grills. The fires have mainly occurred in the extraction system above the grill, or in nearby wall construction. We have therefore assessed the fire safety associated with such grills on commission for the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection and the Building Authorities.
Coal grills in restaurants are defined by the authorities as production equipment and are therefore not regulated by the regulations for fireplaces. The regulations for production equipment lack specific requirements for charcoal grills, nor do the regulations for extraction systems pay special attention to the increased fire risk represented by the use of such indoor grills. The regulations are thus perceived as vagueby the fire service, restaurant and building owners, as well as suppliers of charcoal grills for restaurants.
The report highlights the importance of proper installation and use, as well as maintenance and cleaning of the grills and cookers. Regulations and guidelines should be strengthened so as to safeguard the risk of ignition in the grills' nearby structures, as well as the risk of fire in the extractor. This is to ensure that guests can continue to be served delicious burgers, but with less danger of fire!
The report could be found here (Norwegian).