The heart of the home can quickly become the heat of the home — and too often does during the holidays, especially on Thanksgiving.

The National Fire Protection Association notes that Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires. On that day, the daily average for such incidents spikes by a factor of three. Christmas Day and Christmas Eve rank second and third, both having nearly double the daily average of such fires.

The top cause of all of this? Unattended cooking. Leaving things cooking on the stove unobserved is by far the leading contributing factor in cooking fires and deaths. In fact, NFPA reports, cooking causes more than half of all reported fires and nearly 40% of home fire injuries. It remains a leading cause in home fire deaths.

In 2021, there were about 1,160 home cooking fires reported to U.S. fire departments, a number that reflected a nearly 300% increase over the daily average. But none of us need be part of that statistic if we follow home cooking recommendations from NFPA:

• Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking on the stove top so you can keep an eye on the food. Set a timer to help monitor foods with longer cooking times.

• Stay in the home when cooking your turkey, and check on it frequently.

• Keep your cooking area clear and keep anything that can burn, such as dish towels, oven mitts or packaging, at least 3 feet away from cooking equipment.

• Keep children away from the stove. The stove will be hot and kids should stay 3 feet away.

• Make sure kids 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 the floor clear so you don’t trip over kids, toys, pocketbooks or bags.

• Make sure your smoke alarms are working. Test them by pushing the test button.

And beyond this, a special note for those who use a turkey fryer: It’s important to know that more than two-thirds of home cooking fires begin with the ignition of cooking materials such as food, fat and grease. For the record: NFPA “strongly discourages the use of these fryers … but if you do use one, follow all placement, use and safety instructions carefully.”

Sage advice — for all of us on the holidays and every day.

CHNI News Service