Kitchen Safety
“The leading factor contributing to ignition in nonconfined home cooking fires was unattended equipment (37%),” (U.S. Fire Administration, 2023).
“In 2021, fire departments in the United States responded to an estimated 170,000 home cooking fires. These fires caused an estimated 135 deaths, 3,000 injuries and over $494 million in property loss,” (U.S. Fire Administration, 2023).
Follow these tips to stay fire safe while utilizing the kitchen:
Stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
Keep anything that can catch fire—like pot holders, towels, plastic, and clothing—away from the stove.
Keep pets off cooking surfaces and countertops to prevent them from knocking things onto the burner.
Small grease fires can happen while cooking. Consider keeping a lid or cover near the stove to extinguish small fires. Always leave the fire covered until the heat has fully dispersed from the cooking vessel.
Turn put handles toward the back of the stove so that no one can bump them or pull them over.
Watch what you're cooking. Fires start when the heat is too high. If you see any smoke or the grease starts to boil, turn the burner off.
Keep a pan lid or baking sheet nearby. Use it to cover the pan if it catches on fire. This will put out the fire.