How to use a fire extinguisher spray
Updated: 20 October 2026
Use a fire extinguisher spray only when the fire is still very small and your way out is behind you. If smoke is filling the room, or you would have to pass the flames to reach the door, get everyone out, close the door if you can, and call 999 from outside. Peter F. took that order from Fire Kills, GOV.UK and the London Fire Brigade, and the hardware notes from the cans on our [fire extinguishing spray comparison](/hub/fire-protection/fire-extinguishing-spray). We did not stage a fire. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Use a fire extinguisher spray only when the fire is still very small and your way out is behind you.
Use a fire extinguisher spray only when the fire is still very small and your way out is behind you. If smoke is filling the room, or you would have to pass the flames to reach the door, get everyone out, close the door if you can, and call 999 from outside. Peter F. took that order from Fire Kills, GOV.UK and the London Fire Brigade, and the hardware notes from the cans on our fire extinguishing spray comparison. We did not stage a fire. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Stand-off | Discharge | Electrical line | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Super Help Super Help Fire Stop 400 ml | n/a | One use | Not for installations | 7.6 | about £11.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  Kidde Kidde Flame Out 500 ml | At least 1 metre | About 30 seconds | No voltage printed | 4.6 | about £18.37 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Firechief Firechief Lith-Ex 500 ml, pack of 2 | About 2 metres | Up to about 90 seconds | n/a | 4.1 | about £69.96 | View offer |
When you do not use it
GOV.UK says an extinguisher at home is for a fire that is very small, or one that is blocking your exit, and only after you have read the instructions. If you cannot see the base of the flame, or the smoke is already at head height, you are past the point where a 400–500 ml aerosol is the plan. Call from outside. Do not go back in.
If the fire is between you and the only door and it is not obviously tiny, get others out by whatever route is still clear, and call 999. A pan of oil is not this page. The fire-service split between leaving and a blanket is on the chip pan fire page. An e-bike or e-scooter that is smoking is also not this page: get out. The battery-size limit, for a phone or a laptop only, is on the lithium battery spray page.
How to discharge a spray
Stand with the exit behind you before you pull anything. If you can switch the power off without crossing the fire, do that. Super Help’s sheet says not for electrical installations. If your can says that, and the fire is in a socket or an appliance that is still live, leave rather than spray.
Kidde’s Flame Out is a cap and a button: keep at least 1 metre away, aim at the base and empty the can. Kidde’s cylinder FAQ uses PASS from about 1.5 to 2 metres. Use 1 metre for the Flame Out, and 1.5 to 2 metres only on a cylinder whose label says that. Do not average them.
The Firechief Lith-Ex listing says pull the yellow loop, then press down with the handle, then aim, squeeze and sweep. If your can is none of those, the picture on the can wins. Aim at the base, not at the flames above it. A spray in this set is one discharge. You do not save a third of the can for later.
When to stop and leave
Stop as soon as any one of these is true. The can is empty and you can still see flame. The fire grows while you are spraying. Smoke thickens so you no longer have the door in view. Someone is still inside. You would have to turn your back on the exit to reach the base of the fire. One 500 ml can lasts about 30 seconds on the Kidde notes, or up to about 90 seconds on the Firechief sheet for the Lith-Ex. Fire Kills is explicit: never go back in.
Afterward
A used can is finished. The wording quoted from BS 6165 includes “Not to be refilled”. Kidde says discard a Flame Out with a broken pull-tab, and do not put it in the household rubbish.
Which listing names a fuel, which one admits it is not a BS EN 3 extinguisher, and which one has no rating at all, is the best fire extinguisher spray note. Put the next can where you can reach it on the way out, not at the back of a cupboard behind the fire you would be fighting.
Common questions
Do I call 999 before or after I spray?
If the fire is not very small, or your exit is not clear, call 999 instead of spraying. Get out first. If you do use the can on a fire that is still tiny, call as soon as you are outside, including when you think you have put it out and a battery or the electrics were involved. London and Fire Kills both want you outside before you treat the call as optional.
How far do I stand?
For the Kidde Flame Out, the user guide says at least 1 metre. Kidde’s separate FAQ for a conventional extinguisher says about 1.5 to 2 metres. Those figures belong to different hardware. PLEMO’s listing also says 1 metre. Use the distance printed on the can in your hand, and keep the exit behind you at that distance.
Where do I aim?
Aim at the base of the fire, where the fuel is, and sweep across it. Aiming at the top of the flame wastes the can on smoke. Kidde’s cylinder FAQ and the Flame Out guide agree on the base, even though they disagree on distance. Stop sweeping and leave if the fire spreads or the can empties with flame still there.
What if the can runs out and the fire is still there?
Leave. One aerosol in this set is a single discharge, about half a minute on the Kidde notes. An empty can and a live flame means the attempt is over. Close the door if you can, call 999 from outside, and stay out. Do not go back for a second can.
Can I use the rest of the can later?
No. These sprays are single-use. Kidde tells you to empty the Flame Out, and the head is not a serviceable valve. A half-used can is an unreliable can. Replace it, and do not refill. A broken seal before you ever needed it is the same outcome: discard and replace.
Who should take over?
The fire and rescue service, via 999, as soon as the fire is not obviously small, smoke fills the room, the exit is compromised, or the can is empty and flames remain. That is not a drive to a local station. A fire warden takes over only inside a plan they were trained for, and still calls 999 when the fire is beyond a very small incident.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources and amazon.co.uk listings named in the research digest, last checked on 19 October 2026.
- BSI BS 6165:2019 summary, small disposable aerosol extinguishers (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, article 13 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Fire safety in the home (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- London Fire Brigade: pan fires (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Firechief FLE500 technical sheet (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- BAFE: extinguisher for a small lithium-ion battery (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Kidde KFS-500 user guide (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Super Help Fire Stop technical data sheet (retrieved 19 October 2026)