Cooking fires are four times as likely on Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is the holiday that revolves around food and of course, cooking it. But that makes the possibility of a fire resulting from cooking that food very likely.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, or NFPA, almost half of the reported fires in 2014 were caused by cooking and it’s nearly four times more likely for those fires to happen on Thanksgiving than any other day.
Firefighters warn against leaving food unattended while cooking and to make sure all the relatives and friends gathering for the feast aren’t filling up the kitchen.
“People like to gather in the kitchen so when you’re gathered in the kitchen and you’re cooking, keep people away from the stovetop,” said Gale Blomenkamp with the Boone County Fire Protection District.
According to NFPA, unattended cooking is the leading contributing factor to fires and fire deaths.
Children can also get in the way or get into trouble if parents aren’t watching them. NFPA recommends keeping children away from the stove and from hot foods or liquids, which can burn if they splash.
From 2010 to 2014, firefighters across the nation responded to about 166,000 fires involving cooking equipment. One in every six (17 percent) of those resulted in a death and in 44 percent of them, someone was injured.
The fires caused a total of $1 billion in damage to the homes.
Deep frying a turkey also takes preparation and skill. Blomenkamp said if its done wrong, the results could be deadly.
“Make sure your turkey is 100 percent thawed and dried,” he said. “As soon as you put a partially frozen turkey in grease, violent eruptions cause fires almost to an explosion-type situation.”
If a fire does happen, put a lid on it and then turn the heat off.
“Don’t try to move it to the sink because as soon as you turn around the flame or grease could splash back on you,” he said. “You drop it and now your kitchen floor’s on fire.”
Blomenkamp also wanted to remind people to never leave candles burning unattended. The best way to avoid injury in a fire, he says, is to have a fire-escape plan. The family should practice it regularly.
