While the coronavirus may have changed many Thanksgiving gatherings, the need to protect homes from cooking fires continues.
Typically, Thanksgiving is one of the peak days for cooking fires, which is the top cause of home fires in the United States. Most often, these emergencies are caused by unattended cooking — a common behavior shared by 70 percent of Americans, as shown in a national American Red Cross survey earlier this year.
To help keep you and your loved ones safe, the Tennessee Region American Red Cross urges everyone to follow these safety tips:
- Keep an eye on what you fry! Never leave cooking food unattended. If you must leave the kitchen, even for a short period of time, turn off the stove.
- Move items that can burn away from the stove. This includes dishtowels, bags, boxes, paper and curtains. Also keep children and pets at least three feet away.
- Avoid wearing loose clothing while cooking.
- When frying food, turn the burner off if you see smoke or if the grease starts to boil. Carefully remove the pan from the burner.
- Keep a pan lid or a cookie sheet nearby. Use it to cover the pan if it catches on fire. This will put out the fire. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled.
TWO MINUTES TO ESCAPE A FIRE
“Test your smoke alarms monthly and practice your home fire escape plan until everyone can get out in less than two minutes,” said Joel Sullivan, regional executive for the Tennessee Region. “That is the amount of time you may have to get out of a burning home before it’s too late.”
Visit redcross.org/fire for more information, including an escape plan to practice with your family. You can also download the free Red Cross Emergency app by searching “American Red Cross” in app stores.
For COVID-19 safety tips, visit redcross.org/coronavirus.
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