Experts: Make fire safety a Thanksgiving priority
Home fires more likely during holiday preparations
TEXARKANA — Thanksgiving is the peak day for cooking fires in the U.S., and safety experts urge everyone to take precautions to prevent the holiday from becoming tragic.
Cooking mishaps are always a leading cause of home fires, but there is a sharp rise in the number of cooking fires on Thanksgiving, followed by Christmas, Christmas Eve and the day before Thanksgiving, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
On Thanksgiving in 2017, for example, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 1,600 home cooking fires, more than three times the normal daily average.
Cooking equipment is involved in almost half of all reported home fires and home fire injuries, and it is the second-leading cause of home fire deaths.
U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 173,200 home structure fires per year started by cooking activities in 2013-2017, or an average of 470 home cooking fires per day. These fires caused an average of 550 civilian deaths, 5,020 reported civilian fire injuries and $1.2 billion in direct property damage per year.
Unattended cooking is by far the leading contributing factor in cooking fires and fire deaths. Another safety emphasis is to keep children away from stoves and other kitchen dangers. NFPA recommends planning activities that keep children out of the kitchen altogether, including recipes they can participate in
elsewhere. The NFPA’s Top 10 Thanksgiving safety tips:
■ Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking on the stove top so you can keep an eye on the food.
■ Stay in the home when cooking your turkey, and check on it frequently.
■ Keep children away from the stove. The stove will be hot and children should stay at least three feet away.
■ Make sure children stay away from hot food and liquids. The steam or splash from vegetables, gravy or coffee could cause serious burns.
■ Keep knives out of the reach of children.
■ Be sure electric cords from an electric knife, coffee maker, plate warmer or mixer are not dangling off the counter within easy reach of a child.
■ Keep matches and utility lighters out of the reach of children — up high in a locked cabinet.
■ Never leave children alone in room with a lit candle. Keep candles at least one foot from anything that can burn. Blow out candles when you leave the room or go to sleep.
■ Keep the floor clear so you don’t trip over children, toys, pocketbooks or bags.
Everyday fire safety advice from the NFPA:
■ Keep fixed and portable space heaters at least three feet from anything that can burn. Turn off heaters when you leave the room or go to sleep.
■ Ask smokers to smoke outside. Have sturdy, deep ashtrays for smokers.
■ Replace electrical cords that are cracked, damaged, have broken plugs or have loose connections.
■ Make a home fire escape plan and practice it at least twice a year.
■ Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. Interconnect smoke alarms throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound.
■ Test smoke alarms at least once a month and replace batteries once a year or when the alarm “chirps” to tell you the battery is low. Replace any smoke alarm that is more than 10 years old.
The NFPA is a global, self-funded nonprofit organization established in 1896, devoted to eliminating death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazards, according to its website, nfpa.org.