FIRE AT HEAVEN'S GATE

One Feng Shui belief is that having a kitchen or fireplace located in the Northwest sector of ones home is a serious affliction which could result in sudden, serious loss for the breadwinner which could be either the man or woman of of the house. The losses mentioned above include losing a job and bankruptcy.  It can also lead to serious accidents and illnesses.

As with tragedies, we should always come up with preventive measures first as looking for cures when something bad happens might be already too late.  In Feng Shui, the Northwest represents the patriarch, meaning the father of the household.   Therefore the  kitchen or specifically the stove should never be located in the Northwest. This not only brings bad luck to the father, but will also bring agitation, restlessness and sometimes even misfortune to him. One of the best cure for this is to move the kitchen to another sector. 

Another issue of having the kitchen  in the Northwest quadrant of the house is that the Northwest is of the metal element and all the cooking in the kitchen would produce fire energy which will result in the fire symbolically melting metal.  This can create a home where the children are difficult to control and do not listen to the father.

However, some Feng Shui masters say that even if the kitchen is located at the Northwest but if the stove is not directly at Northwest, this would be alright.  However, they should also make sure that the microwave oven, the kettle and other appliances that produces heat and fire should also not be in the Northwest which means it is better to not have a kitchen in this sector.

As the trigram for NW equals Heaven and also the head of the house, this would mean that even if the head of the house is a female, it will still be considered as "Fire at Heaven's gate".
 
REMEDIES

• Avoid placing electrical items such as a toaster oven or any kitchen appliance in the NW because when they are turned on, there is a reddish glow symbolising fire.
• Place a bottle of water next to the stove area and place earth or pottery or earthenware in the cabinets above or next to the stove area. The water is supposed to tone down the fire and earth absorbs fire.
• Use Induction Cookers that have flat "cooler" surfaces and do not have flames coming out of each of the hob area.

References:
http://www.3dglobe.com/phpforum/article.php?bid=2&fid=1&mid=22356