Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2018 | 2 a.m.
Cooking mishaps are the leading cause of fires and related injuries in Las Vegas, and the number of cooking-related fires triples nationwide on Thanksgiving Day, according to Las Vegas Fire & Rescue officials.
There are an average of 2,000 residential fires each Thanksgiving, causing an average of five deaths, 25 injuries and $21 million in property loss, fire officials said, citing the National Fire Protection Association.
Unattended cooking is the leading cause of Thanksgiving fires. Items catching fire because they are too close to a burner ranked second, and leaving the oven or stovetop on by accident ranked third, officials said.
With that in mind, fire officials offered the following safety tips:
• When deep frying turkeys, use an approved fryer outdoors and away from buildings. Follow all cooking instructions and make sure the bird is completely thawed and dry. Never leave the fryer unattended.
• Be on alert. If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol, don’t cook.
• Stay in the kitchen while frying, grilling or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
• If simmering, baking, roasting or boiling food, check it regularly, stay at home and use a timer as a reminder you are cooking.
• Keep anything that can catch fire — oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels, curtains — away from the stovetop.
• When cooking with natural gas or propane, make sure there is not a buildup of carbon monoxide. Run exhaust fans and open windows/doors in the kitchen at least once each hour to allow fresh air to circulate into the kitchen.
• In the case of a stove fire, shut off the stove and cover the burning pan with a lid or use a fire extinguisher. If there is a fire inside the oven, shut it off and leave the door shut. Call 911 and leave the home until firefighters arrive.
• If the fire is too large or you cannot handle it, have everyone evacuate and call 911.
• Make sure you have a properly operating smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm in the home.
You can receive daily holiday safety tips through from Las Vegas Fire & Rescue via its Twitter and Facebook pages.
