Grilling Safety Tips From St. Paul Fire Marshal

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Our great weather over the past week made a lot of people want to fire up the grill.

St. Paul Fire Marshal Steve Zaccard said while grilling is a lot of fun, it can also be dangerous if it's not done right.

Propane is much more popular these days. Zaccard suggests checking for leaks by turning on the tank, putting soapy water on the hoses then look for bubbles. Any areas with leaks means you should buy new hoses.

Another tip: grill outside and away from buildings. Also, never store propane inside the house.

"The thing with propane is, if the flame blows out … be sure to shut it off, open up the lid and let the air out before trying to relight it," Zaccard said. "If you try to relight it right away or soon after, the propane will build up, and as you go to light it, as the igniter hits or your match hits, then it will flash almost like an explosion."

With charcoal grills, the number one cause of fires has to do with how people throw away the charcoal. Make sure you're waiting for the charcoal to be completely out before disposing of it.