Cooking fires are No. 1 cause of home fires during holiday season
AMERICAN RED CROSS
As the holidays approach, it’s a time to prepare the holiday feast and brush up on home fire safety. Plus, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect communities, planning your celebrations may be a little different this year.
“Home fires are a real threat to people over the (holidays),” said Guillermo Sanchez, preparedness and resiliency manager for Red Cross Los Angeles Region. “Cooking fires are the No. 1 cause of home fires. We are urging families to follow cooking safety steps to help prevent your holiday celebrations from going up in smoke.”
To help keep you and your loved ones safe this season, the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region offers these safety tips:
• Keep an eye on what you fry. Never leave cooking food unat- tended. 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 dish towels, bags, boxes, paper and curtains. Also keep children and pets at least 3 feet away.
• Avoid wearing dangling sleeves or 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.
• Turn pot handles to the back of the stove, so no one bumps them or pulls them over.
• Use a timer to remind yourself that the stove or oven is on. Check the kitchen before going to bed or leaving home to ensure all stoves, ovens and small appliances are turned off.
• Celebrate with the people you live with—it is the safest choice. If you do celebrate with people who don’t live with you, gatherings and activities held outdoors are safer than indoor gatherings.
• Do not attend or host a holiday gathering if you are sick or have symptoms of COVID-19.
• If you are not fully vaccinated and must travel, follow the CDC’s Domestic Travel or International Travel recommendations for unvaccinated people. Everyone, even people who are fully vaccinated, will still be required to wear a mask on public transportation.
You can also help keep your family safe by testing your smoke alarms monthly and practicing your home fire escape plan until everyone can get out in less than two minutes—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 a free Emergency app and free Red Cross First Aid app for instant access on how to control bleeding, help someone who is choking and other scenarios. Search “American Red Cross” in app stores.
