Important safety tip -- do not throw water on an oil fire
We just had this happen in the upstairs apartment in our house.
One of the tenants was cooking, the oil overheated and caught on fire. She threw water on the fire.
The water superheats, boils immediately, and the steam carries the flaming oil into the air, giving you a rising plume of fire. That's what she got upstairs; the ceiling is now covered in soot.
She is ok; she is only mentally scarred, not physically scarred.
For a vivid demonstration, watch the following (UK) 30 second public service announcment: