Cook Safely This Thanksgiving In MA: Tips To Avoid Fire

Thanksgiving is a busy day in most American households, and while most Rhode Islanders won't be juggling cooking with a house full of guests this year due to pandemic restrictions, local fire departments and the American Red Cross are encouraging everyone to be aware and take precautions to stay safe.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, Thanksgiving is the number one day of the year for house fires, followed by Christmas, the day before Thanksgiving, Easter and Christmas Eve. The American Red Cross identified unattended cooking as a major cause of holiday kitchen fires. As many as 70 percent of Americans admitted to leaving food unattended while cooking, according to a survey conducted by the organization earlier this year.

The organization provided the following tips to avoid kitchen fires this holiday season.

• Keep an eye on what you fry! Never leave cooking food unattended. If you must leave the kitchen, even for a short period of time, turn off the stove.
• Move items that can burn away from the stove. This includes dishtowels, bags, boxes, paper and curtains. Also keep children and pets at least three feet away.
• Avoid wearing loose clothing while cooking.
• When frying food, turn the burner off if you see smoke or if the grease starts to boil. Carefully remove the pan from the burner.
• Keep a pan lid or a cookie sheet nearby. Use it to cover the pan if it catches on fire. This will put out the fire. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled.