Fire officials share cooking safety tips ahead of Thanksgiving

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Thanksgiving is coming up on Thursday. When you start cooking that turkey, be careful in the kitchen. 

“It really bodes well for fire safety messaging, so that we can avoid some of those fires tomorrow,” said Lorraine Carli, Vice President of Advocacy at National Fire Protection Association. 

In 2022, State Farm paid over $196 million for more than 2,000 cooking fires. 

According to the National Fire Protection Association, fires occur more on Thanksgiving than any other day.  

“The leading cause of most cooking fires is unattended cooking,” said Carli. “So, the biggest safety message that we give people is to make sure you’re paying attention when you’re cooking.”

According to State Farm, Both Georgia and Tennessee are ranked in the top 10 for fire claims. 

Tips on cooking safely can include keeping your kitchen clean, and… 

“Keep a lid beside the stove top. So, in the event that you do have a flare up, you can quickly turn off the heat source. Slide that lid on top of the pan,” Carli said. 

But if you do have a cooking fire in your kitchen… 

“Get out of the home, call 911 or your local fire department from outside. Do not try to fight a fire that is growing fast, because oftentimes we see people that are injured or even worse, trying to fight a fire,” Carli concluded.