Did You Know…
- 49% of home fires were caused by cooking.
- Cooking is the leading cause of home fires and fire injuries in the US.
- 31% of reported home cooking fires and 48% of cooking fire deaths are a result of unattended equipment.
- 66% of home cooking fires start from food or other cooking materials catching on fire.
- Ranges or stovetops, account for almost 62% of home cooking fire occurrences.
- Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, followed by Christmas Day and Christmas Eve.
Top Safety Tips
- Stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling, or broiling food.
- Set a timer to remind you of cooking times.
- Keep anything that can catch fire away from your stovetop.
- Ensure a 3-foot, kid-free zone around your cooking area.
- Turn pot handles away from the stove’s edge and use the back burners when possible.
- When cooking, wear short, close-fitting or tightly rolled sleeves.
- If you have a fire in your microwave, turn it off immediately and keep the door closed.
- Small grease fires should be extinguished by smothering the flames,
- For oven fires, turn off the oven and leave the door closed.
- Do not cook if you are sleepy, have taken medication, drugs, or consumed alcohol.
- Plug the microwave directly into an outlet and do not use an extension cord that can overload the circuit.
- If your clothes do catch fire, stop, drop, and roll!
This page was last modified on 11/29/2021