Thanksgiving Fire Safety Tips

Thanksgiving, for many, means cooking that big family meal.

With that in mind, the National Fire Protection Association is offering some cooking safety tips for the holiday.

The National Fire Protection Association says that Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, noting that in 2013, there were 1,550 home cooking fires on Thanksgiving Day, 230 percent above the average number of fires per day.

The organization adds that unattended cooking is by far the leading contributing factor in cooking fires and fire deaths.

Officials with the organization also say that cooking equipment is the leading cause of home structure fires and is the third-leading cause of home fire deaths.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, following a few simple safety tips can keep everybody safe this Thanksgiving.

Those tips include staying in the kitchen when cooking on the stovetop to keep an eye on the food, staying in the home when cooking a turkey and checking on it frequently, keeping children at least three feet away from the stove, making sure children stay away from hot food and liquids, keeping the floor clear so as not to trip on children, pocketbooks, or bags, keeping knives out of the reach of children, making sure electric cords from an electric knife, coffee maker, plate warmer or mixer are not dangling off the counter within easy reach of a child, keeping matches and utility lighters out of the reach of children, like up high in a locked cabinet, never leaving children alone in room with a lit candle, and making smoke alarms are working.