Keeping your kitchen safe from fires this Thanksgiving

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The National Fire Protection Association says Thanksgiving is the leading day for home cooking fires. In Wichita, over the last three years, there have been six house fires on Thanksgiving.

Jose Ocadiz with WFD gives these tips:

Have lids ready for pots and pans

Make a 3-foot kid-free zone around the kitchen

Tuck cords away so they don’t get yanked or tripped on

Be aware and attentive

Have an escape plan and working smoke alarms

If you are frying or smoking, make sure you are 10 feet or more away from a structure. And, don’t do that under a deck.

If you are frying, make sure your turkey is completely thawed and your oil isn’t too hot.

Have a fire extinguisher ready outside.

Submerge your turkey slowly to avoid an overflow of oil and burns.

Ocadiz says to prepare your kitchen now for Thursday.

“We just want to make sure that everyone prepares in advance to make sure that their stoves and their ovens are cleaned because of the usage that they’re going to be cooking so many foods on the top of the stove but also in the ovens,” Ocadiz said.

And, he says, let this be a reminder to have your home prepared year-round.

“This is still just a reminder of working smoke alarms and having an escape plan,” Ocadiz said. “When you have family and friends over, and something was to occur, make sure that you do have working smoke alarms in your house and that everybody is able to get out and be able to go to a safe meeting place for accountability in case of emergency.”