For each year from 2011 to 2013, an estimated 2,100 residential building fires were reported to fire departments in the U.S. on Thanksgiving Day and caused an estimated 10 deaths, 50 injuries and $28 million in property loss. Unattended cooking was by far the leading contributing factor in home cooking fires.
• Ranges accounted for the largest share (58%) of home cooking fire incidents. Ovens accounted for 16%.
• Frying poses the greatest risk of fire.
• Two-thirds (67 percent) of home cooking fires start when food or cooking materials catch on fire.
• More than half (55 percent) of home cooking fire injuries happen when people try to fight the fire themselves.
Here is the perfect recipe for Fire-Safe Cooking:
• Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking – frying, broiling or boiling – at high temperatures.
• Make your cooking area safe. Move things that can burn away from the stove. Turn pot handles toward the back so they can’t be bumped.
• Watch what you’re cooking. Use a timer when roasting a turkey or baking.
• Be prepared. Keep a large pan lid or baking sheet handy in case you need to smother a pan fire.
• Stay awake and alert while you’re cooking. If you see smoke or the grease starts to boil in your pan, turn the burner off.
• Prevent burns. Wear short sleeves when you cook, or roll them up. Don’t lean over the burner. Use potholders and oven mitts to handle hot cookware. Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking – frying, broiling or boiling – at high temperatures
Turkey Fryer Safety:
• Turkey fryers can easily tip over, spilling hot cooking oil over a large area.
• An overfilled cooking pot will cause cooking oil to spill when the turkey is put in, and a partially frozen turkey will cause cooking oil to splatter when put in the pot.
• Even a small amount of cooking oil spilling on a hot burner can cause a large fire.
• Without thermostat controls, deep fryers can overheat oil to the point of starting a fire.
• The sides of the cooking pot, lid and pot handles can get dangerously hot.
Watch this short video to see why using a turkey fryer can be dangerous.
Source: U.S. Fire Administration
Links from the U.S. Fire Administration