On the day with the most home-cooking fires, SCE offers tips to prevent blazes and electrical accidents
Setting the Table for a Safe Thanksgiving
By Paul Netter
Thanksgiving traditions run the gamut — from recipes to activities and more — but there is one tradition that everyone can do without.
Home-cooking fires.
No day comes close annually to Thanksgiving’s spike in these blazes . According to the National Fire Protection Association, 1,470 home-cooking fires occur nationally on Thanksgiving Day, more than triple the average day’s 430 blazes.
And no safety hazard causes more of them than unattended cooking, especially frying and stovetop cooking .
It is why Southern California Edison joins fire departments nationwide in encouraging taking necessary safety precautions and preventive measures on a day when fire and electrical hazards lead to an average of five fatalities, 25 injuries and $26 million in property damage .
“Despite all of the obvious distractions on Thanksgiving, one thing is even more obvious: we should never leave stovetop cooking unattended, not even briefly,” said Nicole Kraus, senior advisor of Enterprise Risk Management & Public Safety at SCE. “If you leave it, or leave the house, even for a few moments, turn off the stove or get someone to watch it. This vigilance is crucial to avoiding very preventable fires.”
That vigilance extends to eliminating the second-biggest cause of cooking fires — abandoned or discarded materials like cooking oil and grease buildup — that can also be related to unattended cooking.
Though cooking is the greatest threat, damaged appliances and extension cords present electrical and fire hazards, too. They should be immediately replaced and never used since they no longer protect properly against shock or potential injury and could also initiate a spark.
As for turkey fryers, they’re still not recommended at home , and UL Solutions still refuses to certify them because they can lead to severe burns and property damage. The fire association and UL Solutions both recommend using deep-fried turkey sellers, restaurants, grocers and food retailers instead.
Here are some additional dos and don’ts for celebrating Thanksgiving safely :
THANKSGIVING DOS:
Keep the stovetop and oven free of grease buildup that can ignite a fire.
- Turn off the heat and keep the door closed in the event of an oven fire, and if the fire is not quickly extinguished, leave the house and call 911 from outside.
- Only use appliances with the labels of trusted independent safety organizations like UL Solutions.
- Keep children and pets at least 3 feet away from the stove.
- Use a timer for your cooking, if necessary.
- Check that everything is turned off when finished cooking.
THANKSGIVING DON’TS:
Keep anything combustible — oven mitts, towels, packaging — near the stovetop.
- Plug more than one large appliance, like a refrigerator, into an outlet. And never plug large appliances into extension cords.
- Connect two extension cords to extend their length or place them in pinched positions.
- Let electrical cords dangle off counters within easy reach of children and pets.
- Place electrical cords in high-traffic areas and under rugs.
For more information on safety, visit sce.com/safety .
