Holiday Safety: Cooking Fires Double Over The Holidays
By: Stephen Crews
Updated: November 20, 2010
State Farm, Alabama’s largest home insurer, encourages residents to take fire prevention steps this holiday season. Research shows most house fires occur during the winter months. The threat comes from the increased use of fireplaces, stoves, space heaters, candles, and holiday decorations such as Christmas trees.
“Placing smoke detectors in the proper places within a home and checking and changing the batteries in them can be crucial in preventing losses and saving lives,” says State Farm spokesman Roszell Gadson.
Homeowners are encouraged to turn off space heaters when leaving the room and only use them as the manufacturer recommends. Artificial Christmas trees that have a “fire retardant” label are considered the safest artificial trees. Both real and artificial trees should be placed at a safe distance from fireplaces and heaters. It’s also best to use non-combustible or flame-resistant materials to decorate a tree and to turn off all holiday lights before going to be bed or leaving the home.
In addition to the typical holiday fire hazards, research shows more cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving than any other day of the year. According to State Farm claims data from 2005-2009, grease and cooking-related claims more than double on Thanksgiving Day compared to an average day in November.
With the popularity of turkey frying increasing, U.S. fire departments are responding to more than 1,000 fires each year in which a deep fryer is involved. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) says deep fryer fires cause an average of 5 deaths, 60 injuries, and more than $15 million in property damage each year.
Homeowners can go to http://www.statefarm.com/learning/be_safe/home/home.asp for more fire prevention tips.
“Placing smoke detectors in the proper places within a home and checking and changing the batteries in them can be crucial in preventing losses and saving lives,” says State Farm spokesman Roszell Gadson.
Homeowners are encouraged to turn off space heaters when leaving the room and only use them as the manufacturer recommends. Artificial Christmas trees that have a “fire retardant” label are considered the safest artificial trees. Both real and artificial trees should be placed at a safe distance from fireplaces and heaters. It’s also best to use non-combustible or flame-resistant materials to decorate a tree and to turn off all holiday lights before going to be bed or leaving the home.
In addition to the typical holiday fire hazards, research shows more cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving than any other day of the year. According to State Farm claims data from 2005-2009, grease and cooking-related claims more than double on Thanksgiving Day compared to an average day in November.
With the popularity of turkey frying increasing, U.S. fire departments are responding to more than 1,000 fires each year in which a deep fryer is involved. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) says deep fryer fires cause an average of 5 deaths, 60 injuries, and more than $15 million in property damage each year.
Homeowners can go to http://www.statefarm.com/learning/be_safe/home/home.asp for more fire prevention tips.
