Cooking is the #1 cause of home fires. Only YOU can prevent a cooking fire in your home!
Follow these few safety tips to prevent these fires.
Never leave cooking unattended
- Always stay in the kitchen while cooking. If you must leave, even for a short period of time, turn off the stove.
- If you have something in the oven, set a timer to remind you to check it often.
Cook with caution
- Be on alert! If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol don't use the stove or stovetop.
- Keep anything that burns - cooking utensils, dishcloths, paper towels and pot holders a safe distance from the stove.
- Loose-fitting clothes can come into contact with stove burners and catch fire. Wear tight sleeves or roll them up when cooking.
- Have a "kid-free zone" of at least 3 feet around the stove and areas where hot food or drink is prepared or carried.
If you have a cooking fire
- Put a Lid On It!! On the stovetop, smother the flames by sliding a lid over the pan and turning off the burner. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled.
- For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed.
- If you have any doubt about fighting a small fire....just get out!! When you leave, close the door behind you.
- Call 9-1-1 from outside the home.
- Some people make the mistake of putting water on the fire, either by pouring water in to the pan or bringing the pan to the sink. Both of these are dangerous as it has the opposite reaction from what people think will happen...the fire actually gets worse!