26 November, 2014
Thanksgiving #1 Day for Fires in Massachusetts
In each of the past five years, Thanksgiving has been the single day with the most fires. “Thanksgiving is a wonderful family holiday, but the day can be ruined with a cooking or candle fire, a burn injury or a carbon monoxide incident from long-term use of the oven,” said State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan. “Every home should have working smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms,” said State Fire Marshal Coan.
Cooking Safety Tips
Cooking is the leading cause of fires in the home, the leading cause of fire injuries and in 2013 was the leading cause of residential fire deaths in Massachusetts. It is not surprising that the leading cause of fires on Thanksgiving Day is also cooking, which caused 84% of turkey day fires in the past five years. Coan offered these cooking fire safety tips:
• Remember to “stand by your pan" and stay in the kitchen when boiling, frying or broiling.
• Use a timer when baking or roasting and never leave the house with the oven running.
• The best way to respond to a stovetop fire is to “put a lid on it” and turn off the heat.
• The best way to respond to an oven or broiler fire is to keep the doors closed and turn off the heat.
• If the fire is not quickly snuffed out, leave the house and call the fire department.
• Wear short or tight-fitting sleeves when cooking.
• Keep children 3-feet away from the stove for safety to prevent burns.
• Turn pot handles inward over the stove.
• Run cool water on burns; call 9-1-1 for more serious burn injuries.
Last Thanksgiving, at 7:16 a.m., the Bridgewater Fire Department was called to a cooking fire in a single-family home. Heat from the stove ignited a plastic item that was too close to the heat. Fortunately no one was injured at this fire. The home was not sprinklered and damages were estimated to be $6,000.
On Thanksgiving 2012, at 1:16 p.m., the Wilbraham Fire Department was called to a cooking fire in a single-family home. It started when the turkey was being removed from the oven and some grease spilled. Fortunately no one was injured at this fire and smoke alarms were present and alerted the occupants. The building was not sprinklered and damages from this fire were estimated at $3,000.
Gas Ovens: A Source of CO
Generally, the confined space of a closed gas oven used for cooking does not produce enough carbon monoxide (CO) to be of concern, unless you are using it for several hours like when roasting a turkey. If you have a kitchen exhaust fan, use it; if not, crack a window for fresh air when using the gas oven for an extended period of time.
Candles
Candles make any holiday table festive, but it is important to follow some safety tips when using candles.
• Burn them inside a 1-foot circle of safety free of anything that can burn.
• Think twice about lighting the candles on that lovely centerpiece if it means you can’t follow the 1-foot circle of safety rule.
• Use extra care with candles when children and pets are around.
• Consider using flameless, battery-operated candles instead.
• Blow out candles when leaving the room; don’t leave candles burning unattended.
• Use non-combustibles holders or saucers.
• Keep all matches and lighters out of reach of children.
• Remember to stop, drop, cover and roll if clothing ignites.
