Protecting yourself and your family from house fires this Thanksgiving

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (ABC4 News) – Thanksgiving is here again, and with Thanksgiving comes the big feast and some delicious turkey. But, making that feast can sometimes be dangerous if not done correctly

With that, the Department of Public Safety is reminding the public about fire safety during this holiday season. They added that home fires are caused by cooking peak at Thanksgiving.

In an effort to help people stay safe and avoid house fires, DPS shared the following Thanksgiving facts:

• Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, followed by Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, and the day before Thanksgiving.
• In 2018, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 1,630 home cooking fires on Thanksgiving, the peak day for such fires.
• Unattended cooking was by far the leading contributing factor in cooking fires and fire deaths.
• Cooking equipment was involved in almost half of all reported home fires and home fire injuries, and it is the second leading cause of home fire deaths. 

Even though there are a lot of ways to cause a house fire during Thanksgiving, there are also many ways to prepare a great Thanksgiving dinner without burning down the house.

Below are 10 Thanksgiving cooking safety tips, according to DPS:

• Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking on the stovetop so you can keep an eye on the food.
• Stay in the home when cooking your turkey, and check on it frequently.
• Keep children away from the stove. The stove will be hot and kids should stay three feet away.
• Make sure kids stay away from hot food and liquids. The steam or splash from vegetables, gravy, or coffee could cause serious burns.
• Be sure electric cords from an electric knife, coffee maker, plate warmer or mixer are not dangling off the counter within easy reach of a child.
• Keep matches and utility lighters out of the reach of children — up high in a locked cabinet.
• Never leave children alone in a room with a lit candle.
• Make sure your smoke alarms are working. Test them by pushing the ‘test’ button.

If you do start a grease fire, it is important to know how to safely put it out. Below is a video that shows how: