Rio Grande Valley first responders are urging residents to be careful if they're firing up the grill for the Fourth of July.

They say it takes just one small slip up for things to go bad.

The first thing to do is have the grill at least 10 feet away from the home, have a hose or fire extinguisher close by and ready just in case, and before firing it up, inspect all cooking devices.

There are many different types of grills. If you use propane, be sure to check that the connections are hooked up correctly.

Also make sure it has a good seal and there are no leaks on the connections themselves.

McAllen Fire Department Lt. Erick Alaniz said if you're using a charcoal or wood barbecue pit, do not use gasoline or diesel to start your grill. Instead, use lighter fluid and remember to soak the charcoal with the lighter fluid before lighting it.

"We want to make sure no grease buildup is there because once it hits is ignition temperature there's a good chance, you're going to have a flare up and when we see the flare up people tend to panic," Alaniz said.

Fire experts say grease and water don't mix.

Alaniz says you don't want to put water on the fire, because that will just help is spread faster.

"You can see there, it might get out of control on you. You want to do, like we said earlier, safely. Don't panic, come over, shut down all any sources of possible airflow, and it'll extinguish itself," Alaniz said.

If it's a propane grill, turn off the propane tank so you don't feed any more fuel to it and never turn your back to the fire.

If it gets out of control, use your fire extinguisher or hose, step away and call 9-1-1.

When you're done cooking, let your grill cool down. Put the ashes in a metal container with a lid on and let it sit overnight before you throw them away in the trash can.