Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
On roastery fires
If you're a coffee roaster "it's not if, it's when" you will have a fire in your roastery. This might sound scary if you haven't had one yet, but a mindset of prevention and preparation can help us get ahead and stay in control of a potentially dangerous situation. Most roasteries will have a fire sooner or later, but the risk can be managed if you know what to do.
Of course, fire itself isn't the problem - we literally light a fire intentionally in the roastery every day. The issue is when the fire gets out of our control. This video talks through some main points from an article I wrote for Roast Magazine (Jan/Feb 2025) about roastery fires and how to prevent serious damage.
01:40 "You're not a real roaster until you've had a fire" is a problematic mindset
06:21 Most common roastery fires (chaff, cooling tray, and more)
17:11 Maintenance & cleaning
20:12 Mitigation techniques (layout, tools)
24:34 Preparation & training
Questions, comments, or roastery fire stories? Put them in the comments.
*NOTE: I am not a firefighter or fire prevention specialist. Do your research, connect with your local fire department if you have questions, equip your roastery, and prepare everyone on your team to handle fires.
On roastery fires
If you're a coffee roaster "it's not if, it's when" you will have a fire in your roastery. This might sound scary if you haven't had one yet, but a mindset of prevention and preparation can help us get ahead and stay in control of a potentially dangerous situation. Most roasteries will have a fire sooner or later, but the risk can be managed if you know what to do.
Of course, fire itself isn't the problem - we literally light a fire intentionally in the roastery every day. The issue is when the fire gets out of our control. This video talks through some main points from an article I wrote for Roast Magazine (Jan/Feb 2025) about roastery fires and how to prevent serious damage.
01:40 "You're not a real roaster until you've had a fire" is a problematic mindset
06:21 Most common roastery fires (chaff, cooling tray, and more)
17:11 Maintenance & cleaning
20:12 Mitigation techniques (layout, tools)
24:34 Preparation & training
Questions, comments, or roastery fire stories? Put them in the comments.
*NOTE: I am not a firefighter or fire prevention specialist. Do your research, connect with your local fire department if you have questions, equip your roastery, and prepare everyone on your team to handle fires.
