Does Water Make Grease Fires Worse?

Water and oil do not mix (immiscible liquids) because water is polar and grease oil is non-polar. They do not form intermolecular bonds and instead repel each other. There is a separation of oil and water layers. The denser liquid falls to the bottom and the less dense liquid floats over it. Water is denser than oil, so when water is poured onto burning oil, some of it tends to float to the bottom and the rest tends to sink. Since the temperature around the water droplets is high, they get vaporized (a change in phase from liquid to gas). This results in a substantial volume expansion of water droplets, pushing the oil mass away and spreading the fire over a larger area.