Holiday Cooking Fire Damage

11/18/2022 (Permalink)

As the Holiday season is quickly approaching SERVPRO^® of Beverly/Cape Ann would like to help keep your celebrating free of a hot smokey disaster. Emergencies do happen and we can have your back if anything goes awry.

According to National Fire Protection Association the average number of reported residential building fires on Thanksgiving Day was more than double (2.3 times more) the average number of fires in residential buildings on all other days. The average losses for these fires, however, were less than the same measures for non-Thanksgiving Day fires in residential buildings. What causes such an uptick in these residential fires? Cooking.

Cooking was, by far, the leading cause of all Thanksgiving Day fires in residential buildings at 74% followed by heating at 8%. By comparison, cooking was the cause of 51% of residential building fires that occurred on all days of the year other than Thanksgiving. The leading cause of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking. Here are some tips to help avoid and incident while cooking for your feast:

“Cook with Caution”

• Be on alert! If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol don’t use the stove or stovetop.
• Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, boiling, grilling, or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
• If you are simmering, baking, or roasting food, check it regularly, remain in the home while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
• Keep anything that can catch fire — oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels, or curtains — away from your stovetop.

If you have a small (grease) cooking fire and decide to fight the fire...

• On the stovetop, smother the flames by sliding a lid over the pan and turning off the burner. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled.
• For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed.
• When in any doubt of fighting a small fire: Call 911 and proceed to leave the house.

For 24/7 assistance with fire or smoke damage restoration, be sure to contact the professionals at SERVPRO of Beverly/ Cape Ann (978)927-8665.

Over half (54%) of Thanksgiving Day fires in residential buildings occurred from 10 a.m. throughout the evening. This stands in contrast to the rest of the year when residential building fires peaked during “normal” dinnertime hours of 5 to 8 p.m. (Source: NFIRS 5.0). A common way that these fires are also happening are from deep frying a turkey. Deep frying a turkey might seem like a great way to change up your cooking game, but before you invest in that Cadillac of a turkey fryer, check out some of the hazards:

• Turkey fryers can tip easily and spilling hot oil across a large area.
• An overfilled cooking pot will cause cooking oil to spill when the turkey is put in.
• A partially frozen turkey will cause cooking oil to splatter when you put it in the cooking pot.
• Without thermostat controls, deep fryers can overheat oil to the point of starting a fire.
• The sides of the cooking pot, lid and pot handles can get dangerously hot.

If you do decide to deep fry your poultry remember that you increase the risk of a coking fire. Keep in mind the potential dangers of deep frying a turkey:

• Use your turkey fryer only outside on a sturdy, level surface well away from things that can burn.
• Determine the right amount of cooking oil needed by first placing the turkey in the pot with water.
• Make sure your turkey is COMPLETELY thawed before you fry it.
• Check the temperature often with an appropriate thermometer frequently so the oil won’t overheat.
• Use long cooking gloves that protect hands and arms when you handle the pot, lid and handles of the turkey fryer.

Thanksgiving is about coming together with family and friends and celebrating, don’t let a little thing like a house fire ruin the rest of the Holiday season! Play it safe and for 24/7 assistance with fire or smoke damage restoration, be sure to contact the professionals at SERVPRO of Beverly/ Cape Ann (978)927-8665. Making fire and smoke damage "Like it never even happened."