Unattended Cooking is the #1 Cause of Home Fires

People may be surprised to learn that the leading cause of fires in the home is unattended cooking. According to statistics published on wallflower.com, 47% of home fires are caused by unattended cooking equipment that ignites while the cook is away. Here are a few tips that you can use to prevent the loss of life, loss of property, and incidents of unnecessary injuries.

Tip #1 – Never Leave the Kitchen While Cooking

When you begin the preparation of a meal, you should make sure that you have time and the wherewithal to cook the meal without unnecessary distractions. Because some people try to cook and do other things at the same time, these distractions can be very costly. This is especially true if the losses are financial, and devastating due to injuries and the loss of life. Here are some of the distractions that people need to avoid while cooking:

• Falling asleep while waiting on a dish to bake in the oven or to finish cooking on top of the stove.
• Watching a favorite TV show that captures the attention of the cook, and keeps them distracted for longer periods than usual
• Talking on the phone in another room for long periods without paying attention to any attention the food that you are cooking
• Chatting with others online via social networks like Facebook and Zoom.

Unfortunately, there are a host of different activities that people can get caught up in while also cooking. It’s best to not cook if you can’t devote your full attention to the task.

Tip#2 – Move All Items Away from the Stove

When cooking a meal on the stove, it only takes seconds for things to get out of control. This is especially true for anyone who has items near the fire on the stove that can easily ignite, like paper towels, oven mitts, or curtains near the area that you are cooking in. These items can start a fire very quickly. Even when you’re being diligent about the cooking task, there are still risks that people need to consider. If anything is near the fire on top of the stove, they need to be removed for safety purposes.

Additionally, if the fire involves some sort of grease that is used for frying, it is difficult to put these fires out without the right tools and knowledge. If there is a grease fire burning on the stove, you cannot use water to extinguish it…

Tip #3 – Keep a Fire Extinguisher Near

Unattended cooking is incredibly dangerous, so everyone in the household needs to know exactly what to do, and what not to do, in the event of a kitchen fire. One of the quickest ways to extinguish the flames is to use a fire extinguisher. With the right type of fire extinguisher, the fire can be put out within seconds. And to put out a grease fire in the kitchen, you need to keep a Class C fire extinguisher nearby.

Conclusion

Because unattended cooking is the number one cause of home fires today, everyone in the household needs to be aware of what can happen by carelessness. From burning up the entire house to someone in the family sustaining a burn injury or dying from the flames or smoke inhalation, these fires can be devastating. It is very important to avoid distractions or stay out of the kitchen until one can devote their entire attention to preparing and cooking their meals.