The U.S. Fire Administration says, "Make fire safety part of every recipe."

Cooking is, by far, the leading cause of all home fires and home fire injuries. Thanksgiving Day has proven to be a particularly dangerous day; the average number of fires nearly doubles.

What causes most Thanksgiving Day fires in residential buildings?

Cooking fires in residential buildings occurred more often on Thanksgiving Day than any other day of the year. Cooking was the leading cause of all Thanksgiving Day fires in residential buildings at 74% followed by heating at 8%. By comparison, cooking was the cause of 51% of residential building fires that occurred on all days of the year other than Thanksgiving.

Some safety tips for Thanksgiving cooking:

•Keep an eye on what you fry. Most cooking fires start when someone is frying food.
•Watch what you are cooking. Fires start when the heat is too high. If you see any smoke or the grease starts to boil, turn the burner off.
•Make sure you are awake and alert. Alcohol and some drugs can make you sleepy.
•Wear short sleeves or roll them up so they don’t catch on fire.
•Make sure children and pets stay at least 3 feet away from a hot stove.
•Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove so no one can bump them or pull them over.
•Move things that can burn away from the stove. This includes dishtowels, bags, boxes, paper and curtains.

See the attached illustrations for cooking turkeys in fryers.

Sources: U.S. Fire Administration and FEMA

For more information and free resources visit usfa.fema.gov