Thanksgiving can be a wonderful and hectic time of year to host family and friends, presenting many distractions from cooking.

However, leaving the feast unattended can be dangerous. Thanksgiving has more than three times the daily average for home cooking fires —  Christmas Day and Christmas Eve ranked second and third based on statistics from the National Fire Protection Association.

Fire Safety Tips for Cooking

Reduce your risk of cooking fires this Thanksgiving by following these guidelines from the Michigan Licensing and Regulatory Affairs and MI Prevention.

• Before you start cooking, test your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.
• Remove food and grease build-up from burners, stovetops and ovens.
• Wear short sleeves or roll sleeves up during cooking.
• Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove to prevent spills. Keep young children and pets out of the kitchen.
• Keep potholders, towels and food wrappers away from the stove burners.
• Keep lids or cookie sheets nearby and always use an oven mitt.
• When using the stovetop, stay in the kitchen and watch the food. If using the oven, check on dishes frequently.
• Consider switching to an oil-less turkey fryer. If you must use a portable propane-fueled version:
  • Wear safety goggles and oven mitts.
  • Always use the fryer outside on a flat surface away from houses, garages, decks, trees, and bushes.
  • Make sure your turkey is completely thawed and dried before putting it in the fryer.
  • Allow at least two feet between the propane tank and fryer.
  • Only use cooking oil recommended by the fryer manufacturer. Do not overfill the portable deep fryer with cooking oil.
  • If the cooking oil begins to smoke, immediately turn off the propane tank by closing the valve.
• For an oven fire, turn it off and keep the oven door closed.
• Keep a dry powder fire extinguisher ready; never use water to extinguish a cooking oil or grease fire.

For more information about fire safety or family emergency preparedness, visit Oakland County’s Emergency Management and Homeland Security page at oakgov.com/emergency-management.

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