Thanksgiving is a time of family, gratitude, and of course a big delicious turkey. No one wants to be dealing with a kitchen fire during the holidays so make sure to brush up on your fire prevention tips to have a safe and turkey filled day.
According to the National Fire Prevention Association here are 10 safety tips to follow as well as some Thanksgiving fire facts.
Top 10 safety tips
- Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking on the stove top so you can keep an eye on the food.
- Stay in the home when cooking your turkey, and check on it frequently.
- Keep children away from the stove. The stove will be hot and kids should stay three feet away.
- 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 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.
Thanksgiving fire facts
- Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, followed by Christmas Day, the day before Thanksgiving, Easter, and Christmas Eve.
- In 2018, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 1,630 home cooking fires on Thanksgiving, the peak day for such fires.
- Unattended cooking was by far the leading contributing factor in cooking fires and fire deaths.
- Cooking caused almost half of all reported home fires and home fire injuries, and it is the second leading cause of home fire deaths in 2014-2018.
Finally, make sure to review the following graphics provided by the National Fire Prevention Association on Thanksgiving and cooking safety. MyBurbank News wishes all of our readers a safe and happy Thanksgiving. May your hearts be as full as your bellies.
