On my last boat, I had a kerosene stove which was pre-heated using alcohol. The
previous owner showed me how to do it once. On my first trip up to Maine, I picked
up a mooring at Sebasco Estates and got ready to cook dinner.

I put some alcohol in the rim by the burner, as instructed, and lit it. Nothing happened.
Must not be enuf alcohol, I figured.

You can see where this is going.

So I added more alcohol and tried again. Nothing.

Must need still more alcohol. So I added more and lit it.

WHOOOSSSH!!!

A flame instantly went to the overhead.

I used a fire extinguisher but that didn't extinguish quickly enough for my liking
so I put a fire blanket (really just a piece of fiberglass cloth I bought at Defender but
was sold as a fire blanket) over it and that did the trick.

Only damage done was smoke on the overhead.

The guy who ran the launch though, he told me afterwards, was ready to rescue
me when he saw huge clouds of black smoke billowing out of the companionway.

Jerry

PS: just a short distance to the North from there, I almost lost the boat this summer
when the anchor dragged in 50 knot winds (from the N - the only exposed
direction) in a vicious t-storm. But, I'll tell that story another time....