Avoiding Injuries, Fires in the Kitchen This Thanksgiving

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Whether you’re prepping your Thanksgiving meal in advance or that day, it’s important to be responsible when cooking to avoid injuries and fires in the kitchen.

According to a recent report by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), cooking was the leading cause of reported home fires and home fire injuries in the United States and the second leading cause of home fire deaths between 2014–2018.

During those years, cooking caused an average of 172,900 reported home structure fires per year which resulted in an average of 550 civilian deaths and 4,820 civilian injuries.

The NFPA reported Thanksgiving was the leading day for home cooking fires (with Christmas Day coming in second) with an average of 1,630 fires in 2018. That year, firefighters responded to an average of 740 home cooking fires the day before Thanksgiving.

So what can you do to keep yourself and your loved ones safe in the kitchen? Here are some helpful tips:

Never leave the kitchen while cooking on your stove as some types of food with oil need constant attention
Keep a lid next to pans in the event of a fire. If a fire ignites, place the lid over the pan, turn off the burner and wait for the pan to cool
If a fire ignites in your oven, turn off the heat and keep the door closed. Do not open the door until you know the fire is out
Keep items like pot holders, oven mitts, wooden or plastic cooking utensils away from your stove and other appliances as they can catch fire
Don’t wear loose clothing or big sleeves while cooking
Keep kids and pets at least three feet away from all cooking areas as steam and hot spills can cause hot burns
If frying your turkey, never leave it unattended and do so outdoors in an open area

We hope these tips were helpful in keeping your loved ones safe while you prepare delicious holiday meals. Holidays and amazing food go hand in hand, so do bundling your home and auto insurance with MAPFRE. Talk to an independent agent in your state or get a fast, free car insurance quote in Massachusetts today to see how much you could save!

Please Note: This is meant only to provide general information about commonly available insurance coverages. Except as expressly noted, this content is not intended to describe any specific coverage offered by MAPFRE Insurance. No coverage is provided, bound or guaranteed by this article. Available coverages, credits and discounts vary from state to state and are subject to eligibility criteria and policy terms/conditions, which will control in the event of conflict between this article and your insurance policy. For information about your policy, please review your individual policy contract and speak with your insurance representative.

MAPFRE Insurance® is a brand and service mark of MAPFRE U.S.A. Corp. and its affiliates, American Commerce Insurance Company^SM (Cal. COA 4928-8); Citation Insurance Company^SM; The Commerce Insurance Company^SM; Commerce West Insurance Company^SM (Cal. COA 1372-2); and MAPFRE Insurance Company^SM (Cal. COA 3039-5). Not all products available in all states.

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