Contact: SteveHolmes FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Phone:334-240-4434 Date: 11/21/16
Email: stephen.holmes@insurance.alabama.gov
Website: www.firemarshal.alabama.gov
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Don’t Let Fire Ruin Your Thanksgiving Holiday
Thanksgiving is the leading day for home cooking fires,with three times as many fires occurring on that day. Fire officials say it iseasy to get distracted or lose track of what’s going on in the kitchen whenbusy or inexperienced cooks are trying to prepare several dishes whileentertaining family and friends.
The Alabama Department of Insurance State Fire Marshal’sDivision offers these tips for a safer Thanksgiving Day:
- Always stay in the kitchen while frying, grilling or broiling food. If you have to leave the kitchen for even a short time, turn off the stove.
- Keep anything that can catch fire such as oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains away from the stovetop.
- Turn pot handles toward the center of the stove.
- Keep the number of people in your kitchen to a minimum, especially children. Crowded kitchens cause confusions and often result in burns.
In the event of astovetop fire, carefully slide a cookie sheet or lid over the pan and turn offthe stove. Never attempt to carry a hot pan to the sink.
If you have a firein the oven, close the oven door and turn off the heat. Once the oxygen isdepleted, the fire will go out. Wait until the oven is completely cooled beforeopening the door again. This applies to microwave ovens, too.
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