Kitchen Fires are Preventable

6/19/2019 (Permalink)

Kitchen fires can spread quickly and easily.

Did you know the kitchen is where more home fires occur than anywhere else in the house and that cooking is the number one cause of home fires? The American Red Cross has steps everyone can follow to avoid a cooking fire:

1. Never leave cooking food unattended – stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling or broiling food. If you have to leave the kitchen, even for a second, turn off the stove.

2. Check your food regularly while cooking and remain in the home while cooking.

3. Use a timer so you’ll remember that the stove or oven is on.

4. Don’t wear loose clothing or dangling sleeves while cooking.

5. Keep the kids away from the cooking area. Enforce a “kid-free zone” and make them stay at least three feet away from the stove.

To learn how to prevent a fire in your home and how to keep members of your household safe, you can take our cooking safety quiz and download the Red Cross Fire Prevention and Safety Checklist. Downloadable fact sheets are also available on how to avoid home heating fires, candle safety, proper use of smoke alarms and teaching your children what to do in the event of a fire.