JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS -- Cooking is the main cause of home fires any time of year, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but they are especially common on Thanksgiving, often more than double the number for all other days of the year.
Over half of reported Thanksgiving Day fires in residential buildings occurred from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., when many people are preparing Thanksgiving dinner, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.
“For each year from 2017 to 2019, an estimated average of 2,300 residential building fires were reported to fire departments in the U.S. on Thanksgiving Day. These fires caused an estimated annual average of five deaths, 25 injuries, and $26 million in property loss,” the administration said.
Below are some helpful tips from FEMA for keeping your kitchen, and home, safe this holiday season.
- Stand by your pan. If you leave your kitchen, turn the burner off.
- Keep an eye on what you fry! Most cooking fires start when frying food.
- Roll up your sleeves. This reduces the chance that they’ll catch fire.
- Supervise children and pets. Make sure they stay away from the stove.
- Watch what you’re cooking! If you see any smoke, or grease starts to boil, turn the burner off.
- If there’s an oven fire, keep the door closed. Turn off the oven and keep the door closed until it’s cool.
- Move things that can burn away from the stove. This includes dishtowels, bags, boxes, paper and curtains.
- Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove. This is so no one can bump them or pull them over.
- Only use a turkey fryer outdoors. Make sure that it the fryer is on a sturdy surface, away from things that can burn.
- Check smoke alarms. Make sure to have working smoke alarms close to where anyone may be sleeping.
For more holiday safety tips, go to: 5 Tips to Gobble Up for a Safe Thanksgiving | FEMA.gov.