Thanksgiving Is Worst Day For House Fires In MA, Officials Warn

WORCESTER, MA — Combine hot stoves with crowded home kitchens, carelessly-placed pot holders and perhaps a few libations, and you've got a recipe for an easy house fire.

State and local fire officials are warning home cooks that Thanksgiving is often the worst day of the year for house fires. Firefighters across Massachusetts responded to 123 and 145 Thanksgiving fires in 2019 and 2018, respectively. Even small fires can cause major damage — and certainly ruin a meal.

"Firefighters are busier on Thanksgiving Day than any other day of the year because this holiday has the most home fires, and the majority are cooking fires,” Massachusetts State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey said in a statement this week. "As your families gather to celebrate this holiday, keep everyone safe. Start by making sure you have working smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms."

One big culprit of Thanksgiving Day fires: turkey friers. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), gas-fired outdoor turkey friers are not safety rated. Instead, the NFPA recommends using oil-free fryers, which use infrared heat.

But friers aren't the only way fires start. Here are some safety tips for cooking on Thanksgiving from the state fire marshal's office:

• Check to make sure your oven is empty before turning it on
• Wear short or tight-fitting sleeves when cooking
• Turn pot handles inward over the stove
• Remember to “stand by your pan" and stay in the kitchen when boiling, frying or broiling
• Use a timer when baking or roasting and never leave the house with the oven running
• The best way to respond to a stove top fire is to “put a lid on it” and turn off the heat
• The best way to respond to an oven or broiler fire is to keep the oven doors closed and turn off the heat
• If the fire is not quickly snuffed out, leave the house and call 911 from outside