Home Cooking Fire Risk Peaks on Thanksgiving Day: Local SERVPRO disaster clean-up and restoration specialist urge home cooks to make caution the first ingredient in holiday meal prep

The holiday season is almost here, and it is a time when home cooking activities are at their peak. Unfortunately, all this cooking leads to a related peak in cooking fires, says Ryan Wolfe of SERVPRO of Lawrence, Owen, Greene & Martin Cos.. Cooking fires are responsible for nearly half (49%) of all home fires, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). "To help keep your holidays from, literally, going up in smoke, it's critical to know and use safe cooking practices," says Wolfe.

According to the NFPA, Thanksgiving is the leading day of the year for home cooking fires, with more than three times the daily average for such incidents. The NFPA urges home cooks to take some basic safety steps to help prevent cooking fires.

• Keep your cooking area clean and keep anything that can burn (dish towels, oven mitts, packaging) at least three feet away from cooking equipment.
• Keep a close eye on what's cooking, setting a timer to help you monitor foods with longer cooking times.
• Keep in mind that the leading contributing factor to cooking fires and to fire deaths overall is unattended cooking, so plan to be at home and in or near the kitchen at all times when cooking.

"For those who use a turkey fryer to cook their Thanksgiving bird," says Wolfe, "it's important to note that more than two-thirds of home cooking fires begin with the ignition of cooking materials, including food, fat, and grease. The NFPA strongly discourages the use of these fryers. They use large amounts of oil at high temperatures, which can lead to the type of fire seen here. If you do use one, follow all placement, use, and safety instructions carefully."

If the unexpected does happen, SERVPRO of Lawrence, Owen, Greene & Martin Cos. specializes in disaster restoration, cleanup, and repair services, helping to remediate damage, making it "Like it never even happened" for both commercial and residential customers. For more information on SERVPRO of Lawrence, Owen, Greene & Martin Cos., please contact Ryan Wolfe at (812) 275-2244 or rwolfe@servproofmarion.com. For more information on SERVPRO, please visit www.servpro.com.