The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) released a report on Friday detailing statistics from recent years on home cooking fires during the holiday season. In the “Home Fires Involving Cooking Equipment” report, the NFPA claims that Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas are the top three days for house fires caused by cooking.
“The number of cooking fires is three times the average on Thanksgiving and more than one and a half times the averages on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day,” NFPA vice president of outreach and advocacy Lorraine Carli.
The report also says that cooking is the leading cause of house fires and house fire injuries. Two of every five reported house fire were cause by cooking.
The NFPA urges everyone that is cooking this holiday to stay safe and pay attention when handling cooking equipment. Most cooking fires happen when cooking is left unattended. It is important to stay in the kitchen while frying, grilling and broiling, and to never leave the house when simmering, baking or roasting.
The report shows data from 2007 to 2011. During this period, fire departments in the U.S. responded to an average of 156,600 structure fires that involved cooking equipment each year. These fires were the cause of an average of 400 civilian fire deaths, 5,080 civilian fire injuries, and $853 million in property damage.
Households that use electric ranges have a higher risk of fires than households that use gas ranges. Additionally, ranges account for approximately 57 percent of home cooking fires and 86 percent of home cooking deaths.
As the peak days for cooking fires approach, please be cautious and be sure to check out the NFPA website for additional tips on cooking and fire safety.
[Source: NFPA]
