Sizzling Backyard BBQ Blaze in Glennwilde: 6 Essential Tips to Stay Safe

No people were injured in a backyard barbeque fire today in Glennwilde.

One Maricopa Fire Department ladder truck responded around 5 p.m. to what was first thought to be a house fire on West Laramie Road.

“A propane tank caught fire on a barbeque grill,” public safety spokesperson Monica Williams said, adding it “doesn’t look like it extended any further.”

“Thankfully, it was out by the time our crews arrived,” Williams said.

Grill fires on residential properties result in an estimated average of 10 deaths, 100 injuries and $37 million in property loss each year. Half of grill fires on residential properties occur from 5 to 8 p.m., according to the U.S. Fire Administration.

Here are six tips from USFA to avoid a grill fire at your home:

1. Only use your grill outside. Keep it at least 3 feet from siding, deck rails and eaves.
2. Keep a 3-foot safe zone around your grill. This will keep kids and pets safe.
3. Open your gas grill before lighting.
4. Keep an eye on your grill, fire pit, or patio torches. Don’t walk away from them when they are lit.
5. Clean your grill after each use. This will remove grease that can start a fire.
6. Place the coals from your grill in a metal can with a lid once they have cooled.

Elias Weiss obtained his journalism degree from the University of Arkansas and reported first for the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He went on to become managing editor of the Chatham Star-Tribune, leading the publication to be named Best Weekly Newspaper in Virginia by the Virginia Press Association in 2019. In 2020 and 2021, the Association awarded him four individual first-place awards in government, breaking news, and headline writing among journalists statewide. After working as an investigative reporter in the Valley for Phoenix New Times and The Daily Beast, Elias joined InMaricopa as its managing editor in June 2023. Elias discusses Arizona politics every Thursday on KFNX/CBS 1100 AM radio in Phoenix, from 4-6 p.m. He has been featured on KAWC NPR in Yuma, HBO, and GB News.