A simple kitchen mistake that millions of people make every day could start a fire in your home, according to a former emergency medical technician who has seen the dangerous results firsthand. The warning comes after a viral TikTok video showed how throwing hot, burned food directly into the trash can lead to a house fire.
The safety alert began when TikTok user @kyndallzachary shared her story about heating a brownie in the microwave. Instead of putting it in for 20 seconds, she accidentally set it for two minutes. The brownie burned and started smoking, so she threw it in the trash without thinking twice. Shortly after, the burned food started a fire in her garbage can.
Former EMT Ali, who worked at a fire department for over 10 years, used this incident to educate people about a dangerous habit many don’t realize they have. “How am I even alive?” one commenter wrote after learning about the fire risk. Ali explained that even after food stops visibly smoking, hidden embers can still be present in charred areas.
What makes burned food dangerous
Ali stressed that the main problem with throwing hot, burned food in the trash is that embers can stay active even when you can’t see them. “Inside the black, charred, burnt parts of the food, there can actually be little embers like a campfire,” she explained in her video. When these hot spots come into contact with paper, plastic, or other trash materials, they can easily start a fire.
Fire safety experts agree that any smoking material poses a significant risk. According to the National Fire Protection Association, cooking fires are the leading cause of home fires, and many people don’t realize that the danger continues even after they turn off their stove or microwave. The heat from burned food can stay active for much longer than most people expect.
The invisible fire risk extends beyond just the immediate smoke you can see. Even when food appears to have stopped smoking, internal temperatures can remain high enough to ignite nearby materials. This is why fire departments regularly respond to garbage can fires that started from improperly disposed hot materials.
Ali’s advice is simple but could save lives and property. First, if something burns in your microwave, keep the door closed to contain the smoke and make sure the appliance is turned off. If smoke continues, call the fire department immediately.
For the burned food itself, never put it directly into the trash while it’s still hot or smoking. Instead, let it cool down completely in a safe place like your sink or on the stovetop. Running cold water over the burned food helps ensure all embers are completely extinguished before disposal. Even after cooling, Ali recommends setting a timer to check the trash can 10 to 20 minutes later to make sure no fire has started.
The timing of these safety checks matters more than many people realize. Fires can start slowly and build up over time, especially in enclosed spaces like garbage cans where oxygen flow is limited but still present enough to support combustion.
