Holiday Kitchen Fire Safety Tips

We are in the midst of the holiday season, and that means many families will be spending a lot of time in the kitchen cooking and baking for big meals and celebrations.

Unfortunately, it also means extra fires in the home. According to The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), cooking was the leading cause of reported home fires and home fire injuries and the second leading cause of home fire deaths during the 2017–2021 time period.

The NFPA states these additional grim findings:

• Unattended cooking was by far the leading factor in cooking fires and cooking fire casualties. Abandoned or discarded materials, which may have been related to unattended cooking, ranked second in the causes of cooking fires and fourth in cooking fire deaths and injuries

• In another common scenario, combustible materials such as wrappers, potholders, or clothing caught fire when they were left by or came too close to hot cooking equipment.

• Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, followed by Christmas Day and Christmas Eve

What Can Home Cooks Do To Ensure a Safe and Fire-Free Holiday Season?

• Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling, boiling, or broiling
  
• If you are simmering, baking, or roasting, check it regularly, remain in the kitchen while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking and when food should be checked
  
• When frying, if you see smoke or smell oil, turn off the burner and remove the pan from the burner, as smoke is a sign that your oil is too hot

• Heat oil slowly to the temperature you need for frying or sautéing

• Add food slowly and a little at a time to the pan or pot so hot oil or boiling liquids do not splatter (this also avoids burns)

• If you are sleepy, have consumed alcohol or drugs, or feel in any way impaired, don’t use the oven or stove top

• Keep items that can catch fire away from your stove top, such as oven mitts, potholders, utensils, kitchen towels, and food packaging

• This should go without saying, but be sure your kitchen smoke alarms batteries are replaced regularly and the alarm is working properly

What Should You Do if a Fire Breaks Out in the Kitchen?

• Never put water on a grease fire

• Keep a lid beside your pan so you can quickly smother grease fires, and let the pan cool before lifting the lid so the fire cannot restart

• If you can’t safely smother the fire, get everyone out of your home and call the fire department from outside

• When exiting your home, close doors on the way out if you can safely do so to help contain the fire

• If a fire starts in your oven, turn off the heat and keep the door closed

Additionally, you may consider purchasing the following fire safety products for your kitchen:

Fire Blanket

These sheets of fire-retardant material make it easy to smother grease cooking fires by depleting them of oxygen. Be sure to keeps yours easily accessible in the kitchen so you can pull it out and react quickly. It can also be used to wrap around yourself or someone else when exiting a room or house full of flames, or thrown on to someone whose clothing or hair is on fire.

Kitchen Fire Extinguisher

Purchase a kitchen-specific extinguisher designed to fight flammable liquids and electrical fires in the kitchen. Be sure to keep it easily accessible and make sure all family members know its location.

By Colleen Woods-Esposito