Hot Popcorn!

[Harold Hallikainen]

https://www.wsmv.com/2025/12/19/tennessee-movie-theater-popcorn-machine-suddenly-bursts-into-flames/

Tennessee movie theater popcorn machine suddenly bursts into flames

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Video sent to WSMV4 on Friday shows a movie theater popcorn machine suddenly bursting into flames and surrounding the concession area with smoke.

Clarksville Fire Rescue confirmed the incident on Facebook, saying it occurred Friday morning at Regal Cinemas 16 on Tiny Town Road in Clarksville.

“Upon arrival there was a fire in a popcorn machine inside the building,” Clarksville Fire Rescue said. “Crews put the fire out and moved the popcorn machine outside while other CFR personnel made sure there was no one inside the building.”

No injuries were reported. Firefighters did not say the cause of the fire.

“Upon arrival there was a fire in a popcorn machine inside the building,” Clarksville Fire Rescue said. “Crews put the fire out and moved the popcorn machine outside while other CFR personnel made sure there was no one inside the building.”

No injuries were reported. Firefighters did not say the cause of the fire.

A popcorn machine at a movie theater in Clarksville suddenly burst into flames on December 19.(Clarksville Fire Rescue via Facebook)



On its website, the theater says the location is “temporarily closed.”

This is at least the second popcorn machine fire at the movie theater this year. In March, a popcorn maker at the theater caught on fire and firefighters were able to extinguish it before the blaze spread.

Employees were safely evacuated and that machine was removed from the building, firefighters said.

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NOTE that this is at least the second popcorn maker fire at this theater! How many of you have had a popcorn maker fire?

[Frank Cox]

I suspect that these folks didn't clean their popcorn machine, or at least not regularly, and grease built up in it.

I clean mine every night while the show is on.

[Mike Blakesley]

Besides the cleaning issue. which is entirely possible, it's also possible they were using an oil with a lower flash point such as canola oil, and let the kettle get too hot. That's just one more reason to use coconut oil.

We've never had a popcorn machine fire here in the 85 years we've had a popcorn machine, as far as I know. (Definitely none since I got here, in 1975.)

[Carsten Kurz]

Probably the overtemp/security sensor was defective/worn out. I see machines with just one and some with two sensors. They need replacement every couple of years, otherwise the machines run too hot with stuck temperature switches. Some more modern machines also use electronic temp sensors, sometimes also an automatic timeout circuit to protect from unattended overheating.

[Tj Hopland]

Times I had seen that happen were sites that tended to leave the kettle on with nothing popping and then would also often do the oil first then corn. I would see and hear it all the time. I would hear the creaking sounds and see the smoke of the empty kettle cooking away then watch someone eventually go over and hit the oil button then start fiddling around with seed and salt. Why didn't they have the little cup pre filled and salted? So it could be another minute before they get the corn in there so by this time its smoking pretty good.

The larger kettles seem to increase your chances of hitting that flash point especially when you let it 'cook' empty. Big kettles have a lot of mass to them and a lot of heating elements to heat that mass when needed. I bet if you were to carefully measure and graph different areas over time there would be more than a few times and places you would be near or hitting the flash point for some oils. It may not be there for that long but if thats when the oil gets put in.....

There was a period I think in the 90's where one of the big chains wanted a higher capacity popper but didn't want to have to remodel counters or change future layouts to take an overall larger system so one of the major vendors basically just shoved more heating elements into their long running existing 20 oz kettle and called it a 32. With that setup you were really close to the line and had very little to no margin for any errors. Almost every fire I knew about was that specific model. I kinda wonder if there is another trend like that going on now? The one in the photo has that 48-52oz look to it and its not that big of a cabinet. Not that the cabinet has to have a direct relation to the kettle size but it makes me wonder how they are using it.

I have not been in a Regal for a while, how do they handle their popcorn? Does it come directly out of the popper or do they transfer to some sort of warming station? The unit in the photo doesn't look like its the type that has the chute designed for easy transfer. So are they (and I don't mean regal specifically) getting that huge kettle in the small(ish) cabinet because they want to be able to not plan ahead and start popping as they see the rush start coming? As soon as they get a few people in line they want to be able to start popping and keep up with all the jumbo orders that come in? Is the kettle on and hot this whole time just in case they get some customers?

I would have thought with recliners cutting the complex seating at least in half that maybe going back to the 32oz range kettles would be reasonable. The 32's seemed to be a sweet spot so to speak. Capacity was reasonable as long as someone had the brains and authority to start popping before the rush really kicked in. They were also still reliable, the 48-52's seem to have more issues related to burnt up wiring at least when they first came out, maybe its got better? I don't work on them much anymore. Also they seemed to make better tasting popcorn. The 16-20's seem like they are the best for taste but the 32's were still pretty decent. For what ever reason those 48-52's don't taste the same. I have been in sites where for one reason or another they had both sizes so same amount of built in seasoning and same stuff going in and people would pick the 32 as tasting better.

I was never that big of a popcorn person so I usually let others judge the taste part and I usually didn't really have any say in the models or ingredients. I was just there to fix em and would often observe how they were used so I could see trends and explain why some things were the way they were and maybe make recommendations if anyone cared.

[Jim Cassedy]

While working as a 'contract projectionist' for a film festival here in SF at a very large venue,
I noticed that both their popcorn machines had a built in fire-supression system. There was
a nozzle in the top up near the kettle, and some sort of pressurized vessel in the base. I
assume it was C0², since I think it would be extremely difficult to clean dry chemical fire
extinguisher powder out. I don't think it was automatically triggered, as you might have
an occasional false-trigger event. But there was a big red handle down near the operating
controls clearly labeled "PULL IN CASE OF FIRE"

[Tj Hopland]

Both Gold Medal and Cretors have models with built in fire suppression as well as many stage air filtration options. If you get the full fire and filter model 2/3 of the space is taken up by that extra equipment. Those options also add quite a bit to the cost but depending on local regulations and your insurance company may be the most practical option to comply.

[Marcel Birgelen]

I guess those advanced filters, if they work, will save a lot of money in the end, given how much of the stuff ends up inside your projectors over the years.
On the other hand, what's a cinema without the smell of freshly popped corn?

I had an interesting case not so long ago, where the wife bought some microwave popcorn from the local discount store... This kind of stuff is a hard sell to me, but she likes it from time to time... Well, the bag of popcorn caught fire in the microwave... I happened to be next to it when it happened. I managed to get it out there and dump it into the sink, where water solved the rest. The microwave got quite some scorch-marks from it and I've since replaced it...

I checked if she did something stupid, like selecting some grill or other function on the thing other than just the microwave function, but no. Also, the corn in what was left of the bag was still popping when it caught fire, causing hot kernel projectiles to fly all around, some of them on fire.

I suspect them to have used some low-quality oil or other flammable ingredients in the goopy stuff they use in those microwave kits...

[Phil Ranucci]

I've seen people punch the oil button and then dump the seed in. When confronted, their answer was, "that's how i was taught". After explaining why that's the wrong way, 3 or 4 other people volunteered that they wer taught the same way.
Cretor's and Gold Medal machines shut the elements off when at the set temp ~425.
I'm sure they can fail, but my money is on a hot kettle and somebody pumping oil in before the seed.
Could also be they didn't turn on the agitator.

[Mike Blakesley]

Our old Manley machine's instructions were: Put the oil in, turn the agitator on, and throw in about 2 or 3 kernels of corn. When those pop, put in the rest of the corn and it will start popping within about 30 to 45 seconds. I don't think that old machine had a kettle thermostat, you just turned it off when the corn was mostly done popping.

Our "new" Cretors machine (which will turn 30 next year) does it the opposite due to fire concerns, I guess. They say to put the corn in first, turn on the heat, then add the oil.

The Manley instructions said that having the oil heated before adding all the corn will result in fluffier kernels. I don't know if it makes that much of a difference.

[Gordon McLeod]

Besides the cleaning issue. which is entirely possible, it's also possible they were using an oil with a lower flash point such as canola oil, and let the kettle get too hot. That's just one more reason to use coconut oil.

We've never had a popcorn machine fire here in the 85 years we've had a popcorn machine, as far as I know. (Definitely none since I got here, in 1975.)

Canola has a higher flash point than coconut oil

[Marcel Birgelen]

Canola oil has a higher flash point if it's pure. Unfortunately, there is a lot of junk oil out there.

But it's not just the oil that can start to burn... often it's one of the additives for color and flavor that burns before that flash point.

The Manley instructions said that having the oil heated before adding all the corn will result in fluffier kernels. I don't know if it makes that much of a difference.

They do have a point. If I make popcorn at home, in a kettle, I add in the oil and kernels into the kettle before turning on the heat, because I don't want hot oil-covered projectiles flying around my face. But the first kernels to pop are usually far less "fluffy" than the later ones.

[Harold Hallikainen]

https://www.stardem.com/news/dorchester/popcorn-machine-fire-closes-cambridge-movie-theater/article_62a78ae2-3f2e-45ef-91c1-c6f4451d4437.html

Popcorn machine fire closes Cambridge movie theater

CAMBRIDGE — A popcorn machine fire on Thursday temporarily closed the Cambridge Premium Cinemas.

Around 3:30 p.m. Thursday, firefighters responded to a fire at the movie theater in the Dorchester Square shopping center off of Route 50, according to a Rescue Fire Company post on Facebook.

A caller told the fire company that a popcorn machine caught fire and it began to spread. Firefighters arrived and saw smoke coming from the theater’s doors. They “quickly located the fire, which had been held in check by the building’s sprinkler system,” the company said.

Crews extinguished the fire and removed the smoke from the building.


Cambridge Premium Cinemas posted on its website that it’s temporarily closed. Online sales will be refunded and in-person sales can be redeemed when the theater reopens.

As of Friday at 5:30 p.m., no updates about when the theater may reopen had been posted to the website or Facebook. Anyone with questions or concerns for the theater is asked to email info@flagshipcinemas.com.

[Marcel Birgelen]

The smoke alone can already be killing. A fire in a neighboring restaurant took a local multiplex down for over a year. While the fire never got further than the restaurant, the thick, black smoke did go everywhere. All projectors were deemed total loss, including most of the other electronic equipment in the building.