Alva James-Johnson: Microwave fire ignites safety concerns

I didn't know what she packed for lunch. And upon investigation, I discovered a bowl with vegetable fried rice and a vegetarian meat substitute on the kitchen counter. The food was from dinner the night before and the most convenient option.

My daughter hates things mixed in her rice. So being a sweet and compassionate mother, I decided to give her another choice.

"What about a potato?" I asked. And she agreed to my brilliant idea.

But considering the late hour, I had to find a quick way to cook the potato.

We had no time to boil or bake, so I decided to microwave instead.

I grabbed a plastic bowl that we had used previously for microwaving. I placed the potato in the bowl, partially covered it with a lid and set the microwave to 10 minutes. Then I returned to my bedroom to finish dressing.

Five minutes later, my daughter came downstairs and began screaming.

"Mom, Mom, come quick!" she shouted.

I ran to the kitchen and saw the microwave engulfed in smoke. Then it burst into flames.

My mother-in-law heard us yelling and ran upstairs in a frantic rush. Together, we all started trying to put out the fire.

At first, we were in such a panic that we weren't sure what to do. It was my first time experiencing a real fire. And while I've learned some safety tips over the years, "stop, drop and roll" didn't apply.

I opened the microwave door and began pouring water on the small blaze. But my mother-in-law thought it would only make the fire worse. She also didn't like the idea of pouring water on an electrical device.

I guess we could have unplugged the microwave, but we just didn't think about it at the time. We had only seconds to respond and there was so much going through our minds.

I grabbed a fire extinguisher from the pantry, but my mother-in-law suggested we just throw the fire-engulfed bowl outside. That made me a little nervous, but I deferred to what is usually her better judgment. She's really the kitchen expert in our house.

So she put on fire-resistant oven mitts, picked up the bowl and tossed it in the yard. Then we doused it with water, which put out the fire.

Luckily, no one was hurt and we avoided burning down the house. The only things destroyed were the little plastic bowl and the potato, which looked like a blackened ball of charcoal.

My daughter put the bowl with her vegetable fried rice in her lunch bag and we continued our day. We still don't know what caused the fire; I assume the bowl was just not microwaveable.

The whole experience got me thinking about how unprepared we were to handle the situation. Maybe it was just a wake-up call to get our attention.

And that it did. I'm already planning a fire drill.

Alva James-Johnson, 706-571-8521. Reach her on Facebook at AlvaJamesJohnsonLedger.

This story was originally published August 27, 2015 at 10:26 PM with the headline "Alva James-Johnson: Microwave fire ignites safety concerns ."