HERRIN (WSIL)---It's Burn Awareness Week and this year, the American Burn Association wants to remind everyone about dangers in the kitchen, and with the daily task of cooking, many forget how easy it is to get burned.
"Especially with like boil over type fires with grease and things, if people are trying to put them out, they can get severely burned," said Herrin Fire Chief, Shawn Priddy.
Firefighters in our area say responding to fires started while cooking is not uncommon.
"Sometimes we go to like stove fires, sometimes it's either due to an equipment malfunction or it's due to contents boiling over, or one of the really big culprits is not cleaning good enough to where there's a lot of grease build up, and the exhaust fan on top of the stove and inside the oven themselves, and eventually that grease will start igniting," said Priddy.
But just because it's easy to get burned in the kitchen, doesn't mean there aren't ways to prevent it from happening.
"Clean your equipment, clean it well. For burns, be sure that the handles are turned in, not sticking out where they can be bumped or children can bump them. Long baggy clothes are gonna be a problem and they can dangle and catch a flame or a pot handle, those kinda things like that," Priddy added.
And according to the experts, the best way to make sure you don't get hurt is to stay proactive.
"Don't get complacent and leave things on or leave things cooking to run out and do something else. Things can happen very quickly and spread very fast," said Priddy.
