How do you prevent a kitchen fire on Thanksgiving? Cooking fire safety for the holiday

Thanksgiving falls on November 26 this year. It's a day of full ovens, busy stovetops and a crowded kitchen, and according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), it's also the peak day of the year for home cooking fires. Here is what the NFPA and the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) recommend for getting the meal on the table without a fire.

Why Thanksgiving is the peak day for cooking fires

The NFPA estimates that 1,139 home cooking fires were reported to U.S. fire departments on Thanksgiving Day 2024, more than three times the daily average. Christmas Day and Christmas Eve ranked second and third, each with nearly twice the daily average.

Cooking causes most of the trouble that day. Based on annual estimates for 2020 to 2024, the NFPA says 80% of structure fires on Thanksgiving Day are due to cooking, and those cooking fires account for 35% of the civilian injuries in Thanksgiving structure fires. The NFPA explains that cooking increases during holiday celebrations, and guests, television and other activities can pull attention away from the kitchen.

The USFA's look at residential building fires on Thanksgiving Day from 2017 to 2019 found the same pattern: cooking caused 74% of them, compared with 51% of residential fires on all other days. More than half (54%) of those Thanksgiving fires happened between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., and the peak hour was 1 to 2 p.m.

Stay with your food

Unattended cooking is by far the leading contributing factor in cooking fires and fire deaths, according to the NFPA. Across all home cooking fires from 2020 to 2024, unattended equipment was a factor in a quarter (25%) of the fires and half of the deaths. The NFPA recommends:

• Stay in the kitchen while you're frying, boiling, grilling or broiling. If you leave the kitchen even for a short time, turn off the stove.
• When you're simmering, baking or roasting, check the food regularly, stay home while it cooks, and use a timer to remind you that something is cooking.
• Stay in the home while the turkey is cooking, and check on it frequently.
• If you're sleepy or have been drinking alcohol, don't use the stove or stovetop.

The USFA's short version: stand by your pan, and turn the burner off if you leave the kitchen. It also warns that fires start when the heat is too high, so if you see smoke or the grease starts to boil, turn the burner off.

Set up the kitchen before the cooking starts

A few minutes of setup makes the busiest hours safer. The NFPA and the USFA recommend:

• Keep anything that can catch fire away from the stovetop: oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels and curtains.
• Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove so no one can bump them or pull them over.
• Keep a pan lid or baking sheet nearby so you can cover a pan if it catches fire.
• Keep the floor clear so no one trips over kids, toys, pocketbooks or bags.
• Make sure your smoke alarms are working. Test them by pushing the test button.

Keep kids safe in a busy kitchen

The NFPA suggests a kid-free zone of at least 3 feet around the stove and anywhere hot food or drinks are being prepared or carried. Its Thanksgiving tips also say to:

• Keep children away from hot food and liquids. Steam or splashes from vegetables, gravy or coffee can cause serious burns.
• Keep knives out of children's reach.
• Make sure cords from an electric knife, coffee maker, plate warmer or mixer aren't dangling off the counter where a child can reach them.
• Keep matches and utility lighters up high in a locked cabinet.
• Never leave children alone in a room with a lit candle.

Frying on the stovetop

The USFA says frying puts you at the greatest risk of cooking fires. The NFPA's advice for cooking with oil:

• Stay in the kitchen the whole time you're frying, and keep an eye on the pan.
• If you see wisps of smoke or the oil smells, turn off the burner right away or carefully take the pan off the burner. Smoke is a sign the oil is too hot.
• Heat the oil slowly to the temperature you need, and add food gently so the oil doesn't splatter.
• Always keep a lid beside the pan.

What about a turkey fryer?

The NFPA's position is that turkey fryers that use cooking oil are not safe, because they use large amounts of oil at high temperatures that can cause devastating burns. It suggests buying a fried turkey from a grocery store or restaurant, or using a fryer that doesn't use oil. The USFA also suggests considering an electric or air fryer.

If you do fry a turkey in oil, the USFA recommends:

• Set the fryer on a sturdy, level surface and don't move it once it's in use. Fryers can tip over easily and spill hot oil over a large area.
• Keep it at least 10 feet from your home and not under the roof eaves.
• Don't overfill the pot. Test first with water: lower the turkey in, make sure the water doesn't get too close to the top, then measure the water and use it as your guide for the oil.
• Make sure the turkey is fully thawed with no frost on it. A partially frozen turkey makes the oil splatter.
• If the fryer has no thermostat, use a kitchen thermometer that attaches to the side of the pot so you can watch the oil temperature.
• Wear protective oven mitts, since the pot, lid and handles get dangerously hot, and keep children and pets at least 3 feet away.

If a fire starts

The NFPA's guidance:

1. For a small grease fire on the stovetop, slide a lid over the pan and turn off the burner. Leave the lid on until the pan is completely cool, because the fire could start again.
2. Never throw water on a grease fire.
3. For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the oven door closed.
4. If you have any doubt, or the fire doesn't go out, get everyone out. Close the door behind you to help contain the fire, and call 9-1-1 from outside the home.

If you do try to fight a small fire, the NFPA says to make sure others are getting out and that you have a clear way out.

What a kitchen fire leaves behind

Many Thanksgiving fires stay small. The USFA found that 75% of Thanksgiving Day residential building fires from 2017 to 2019 were limited to the object where they started. But a fire that spreads leaves ash, smoke residue and the water used to fight it, and together those can make the destruction worse than the fire itself. Acting quickly limits further deterioration of your property and belongings.

When to call a professional

If a cooking fire has left smoke residue, odor or water from firefighting in your home, it's time to call a restoration company.

We provide fire and smoke damage assessment and fire damage restoration: ash and smoke residue cleanup, the water left from firefighting, board-up for windows, and reconstruction as licensed general contractors. For smoke odor, we use advanced deodorization methods that eliminate the smell instead of masking it. We're IICRC certified and we coordinate with your insurance company. Our emergency line, 704-372-1200, is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, holidays included, across Charlotte and 16 counties in North and South Carolina, including Matthews, Huntersville and Rock Hill.