The State Fire Marshal’s office is asking residents to prioritize fire safety if they plan to cook on Thanksgiving, the number one day for home fires in Massachusetts.
“Each year, we see about twice as many fires on Thanksgiving as on the next-closest day,” State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey said in a statement. “Don’t let a fire ruin this special time with your family and loved ones. Practice fire safety when cooking and heating your home, and be sure you have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms that can alert you to danger.”
Between 2017 and 2021, 678 fires broke out on Thanksgiving, and 87 percent of them were tied to cooking activities at home, the statement said. Those fires, the statement said, caused seven civilian injuries, seven fire service injuries, and more than $3 million in estimated losses.
Ostroskey urged residents to: be sure their oven is empty before turning it on, keep flammable items away from the stovetop, wear short or tight-fitting sleeves when cooking, turn pot handles inward over the stove, use a timer when baking or roasting, and never leave the house with the oven running.
Residents are also asked to “stand by your pan” and not leave the kitchen when boiling, frying, or broiling. The statement notes that the best way to respond to a stovetop fire is to “put a lid on it” and turn off the heat, and that the best way to respond to an oven or broiler fire is to keep the oven doors closed and turn off the heat.
“If the fire is not quickly snuffed out, leave the house and call 9-1-1 from outside,” the statement said.
Charlie McKenna can be reached at [email protected]
