RALEIGH COUNTY, WV (WOAY) – Thanksgiving is the number one day of the year for home cooking fires.
Leaving unattended food on the stove is the leading cause.
Beckley Fire Department Station Three has recommendations for staying prepared and safe.
“If you’re not paying attention, the food could overheat. If you’re cooking with grease, you could get a grease fire; you want to make sure your kids aren’t going to run across something and get scalded,” said Lt. Mark Braskey. “You want to check all your cords, ensure they’re not damaged, and that they’re plugged into the wall.”
You want to stay nearby when you’re cooking with grease or hot oil, as it’s extremely flammable.
“Deep fryers are extremely unsafe. Any sort of moisture, ice water inside that hot liquid will pretty much cause an explosion, a flame,” Braskey said. “Deep fryers are supposed to be used outside, but I would advise against it. Maybe get an electric one, or like an air fryer.”
A simple distraction in a crowded kitchen near a hot stove in a busy household can quickly escalate to a dangerous situation.
According to Braskey, if there’s a small grease fire on the stove, you want to turn the heat off and put a lid over it, and leave it there until it’s cooled.
“If there’s a fire in the oven, you want to turn the oven off and keep the door closed. Timers are good if you’re baking something. If you’re cooking something on top of the stove, you want to stay with it because you’re going to have to stir it if it’s simmering or it gets too hot,” said the lieutenant.
Cook with caution, and if something happens that you can’t contain, don’t be afraid to call 911.
“In Beckley, we can be anywhere within five minutes. I keep a type ABC fire extinguisher in my kitchen just in case, so I would say attempt to fight it, but still call 911,” Braskey said. “We’ll come check it out and make sure everything’s safe. But if it gets too big, just get everybody outside and we’ll take care of it.”
