CARBONDALE (WSIL)--Thanksgiving is a time for family and food, but the last thing you want to do is have to call the fire department when dinner goes awry.
Cooking caused 49% of reported home fires from 2015 to 2019.
This year, the Carbondale fire department wants to help stop fires before they start.
"One of the bigger things is leaving cooking unattended. People get anxious, a lot of family coming over. They're cooking a lot, and they get distracted and leave the room. Usually, that's when accidents occur," said Carbondale firefighter Sean Sherwood.Â
One tip people might not think about, having a clean work surface before cooking starts.
"We want to make sure our cooking surfaces, our stovetops, as well as inside of the oven are nice and clean before we start cooking so there's not that excess of grease and cooking materials of previous times of being used," said Sherwood.Â
Thanksgiving fires are more than 3 times the daily average and have more incidents than Christmas Day and Christmas Eve.
But there are a few things you can do if an accident happens.
"If it's a small grease fire that you think is manageable, you want to cover the pot or pan with a lid, turn the burner off and leave it covered until it's completely cooled off. If it's an oven fire, you want to turn the power off to the stove, shut it off, and leave the door closed," said Sherwood.Â
And as the day arrives, just remember to keep safety in mind.
"Enjoy your time with your family and the great food that comes with the holiday, but the big things are be mindful of what you're doing, never leave things unattended, and make sure you start with a clean stovetop and a clean oven," said Sherwood.
When in doubt of whether you can control a fire if it starts, call 911, so you can keep you and your family safe.
