They say kitchens are the heart of the home as it is the place where most families gather and rejoice.
It is also the root of most fires during the holiday season. According to the National Fire Protection Association, Thanksgiving is the peak day for home fires as such incidents occur nearly three times the daily average. Christmas Day and Christmas Eve closely follow as second and third with nearly twice the daily average.
Unattended cooking is the main culprit for the cause of cooking fires and deaths. Fire departments nationwide responded to approximately 1,400 home cooking fires in 2019 on Thanksgiving day.
In the event of a kitchen fire that cannot be handled quickly with a home fire extinguisher, leave the room, closing doors behind you, and dial 9-1-1.
According to CVPD Capt. and Public Information Officer Josh Sanders, unattended cooking is the leading cause of fires on Thanksgiving day. He shared a few safety tips to keep families “happy, healthy and safe” during the holiday:
- Never leave cooking food unattended as they are the leading cause of cooking fires.
- Check inside the oven before turning it on. Keep combustibles, oven mitts, wooden utensils, towels and children three feet away from the cooking area.
- Keep a lid close by while cooking.
- Have a rated ABC fire extinguisher nearby.
Additional safety tips were provided by the NFPA to prevent cooking fires:
- Stay in the home when cooking your turkey, and check on it frequently.
- Make sure kids stay away from hot food and liquids. The steam or splash from vegetables, gravy or coffee could cause serious burns.
- Keep knives out of the reach of children.
- Be sure electric cords from an electric knife, coffee maker, plate warmer or mixer are not dangling off the counter within easy reach of a child.
- Keep matches and utility lighters out of the reach of children — up high in a locked cabinet.
- Never leave children alone in a room with a lit candle.
- Keep the floor clear so you don’t trip over kids, toys, pocketbooks or bags.
- Make sure your smoke alarms are working. Test them by pushing the test button.
