Many American families embrace the Thanksgiving as a social holiday where friends and families gather to party, cook, and eat. According to the National Fire Protection Agency, Thanksgiving is the leading day where the nation witnesses accidents caused by cooking fires. The agency notes that the day reports three times the number of fire than any other days.
Statistics
US fire department reported over 1,700 fires during 2015 thanksgiving, which was the highest day during that year. The department reported about 1,570 cooking fires at homes during the 2016 Thanksgiving day. The home cooking fires are high during Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Christmas Eve respectively.
Safety tips
Unattended cooking and cooking equipment are the leading causes of home cooking fires. As you make preparation for Thanksgiving Day, keep your family and friends from harm and your property from loss by observing safety tips.
Remain attentive and cautious while at kitchen since unattended cooking accounts for highest number of fire deaths and cooking fires. Also, keep an eye on the kitchen equipment for malfunction.
- Avoid leaving the kitchen when food is cooking
- When needed outside the kitchen, set timer in the kitchen to avoid distractions.
- Remove all tripping hazards from the kitchen such as bags, toys, children or pets.
- All appliances with electric cords should be kept well from dangling.
- Ensure that smoke alarms are operational.
The US Fire Department says that flammable items such as candles account for more than 15,000 residential fires that cause an estimated loss of $540 million each year.
- Keep flammable items away from the kitchen.
- Keep children from reaching utility lighters and matches.
- Items that can easily catch fire should be kept away from cooking area.
- Avoid leaving children alone in the kitchen or an area with a lit candle.
- Use battery-operated and flameless candles.
Take precautions to guarantee a safe and enjoyable holiday
- Wear protective goggles to keep eyes safe from oil splatter.
- Wear well-insulated and long gloves while handling hot equipment such as pot, lids, and handles
- Consider children safety while making decorations.
- Avoid using flammable decorations during Thanksgiving.
As you prepare for your Thanksgiving holiday, observe the safety tips to avoid unnecessary injuries, deaths or loss of property. Contact us at for fire damage restoration and more information.
Josh Ray is a disaster cleanup professional and the owner of Utah Flood Cleanup. He is a certified mold professional, asbestos inspector, water damage IICRC carpet cleaning professional, and holds a RRP certification. You can rest easy knowing an experienced professional is helping repair you fire damage, water damage, or mold remediation issue.
Utah Flood Cleanup
685 E. 2850 N.
North Ogden, UT 84414
(801) 416-2666
