Staying safe while cooking your Thanksgiving dinner

TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) - As people put the finishing touches on their Thanksgiving meal, one thing you’ll want to keep in mind is cooking safely.

Thanksgiving is one of the most dangerous days when it comes to house fires. According to the National Fire Protection Association, in 2021 fire departments across the country were called to more than 1,100 reports of home cooking fires. That’s up almost 300% compared to the daily average.

Thanksgiving is actually the the busiest day of the year for firefighters since it’s the holiday that has the most house fires in the entire country.

Now some ways to stay safe include;

Rolling up your sleeves so they don’t catch on fire.
Keep an eye on what you fry. Trying to fry food is how most house fires actually start.
With an oven fire keep the door closed and turn off the heat.
With a stove fire turn off the heat and cover the fire. Keep in mind that water can actually make a stove fire worse.

One of the most important things to be on the lookout for include your kids and pets. Leaders say it’s probably best to just keep them out of the kitchen all together. But if you can’t then make sure you turn those pan handles away from the edge of the counter so they aren’t able to grab anything.