Public Protection Cabinet
Be Careful Cooking Holiday Meal
For many families, Thanksgiving Day centers around the traditional home-cooked meal, completed with roast turkey and all the fixings.
With all the cooking involved, it may be no surprise that Thanksgiving is the peak day throughout the nation for home cooking fires. In 2005 alone, cooking accounted for 1,300 home fires, three times the daily average, said Kentucky State Fire Marshal William Swope.
“Thanksgiving is a wonderful time for families to come together and enjoy a meal,” Swope said. “By taking commonsense precautions, you can ensure that your holiday is not marred by a cooking accident.”
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) offers several tips for ensuring a safe Thanksgiving Day:
- Never leave the kitchen unattended when cooking.
- Keep children away from cooking areas.
- Keep flammable items like oven mitts off the stovetop.
- Keep the oven and stovetop clean of food and grease.
- Don’t allow food to overcook and burn. Use a timer if necessary.
- Use the stovetop’s back burners if possible.
More tips are available at the NFPA Web site, http://www.nfpa.org.