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Fire Prevention Week Focuses on the Kitchen

Posted at 5:03 AM, Oct 08, 2013
and last updated 2013-10-08 08:22:27-04

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.- This week, Oct.  6-12, marks National Fire Prevention Week. The Grand Rapids Fire Prevention Bureau states that it was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire back in 1871, which claimed the lives of 250, left 100,000 homeless and destroyed more than 17,400 structures. Along with that, 2,000 acres were burned.

This year’s theme is “Prevent Kitchen Fires”. The National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) has found that cooking is the leading cause of house fires, with two of every five beginning in the kitchen. On top of that, cooking fires are also the leading cause home fire-related injuries.

Some very helpful safety tips include:

  • Stay in the kitchen while frying, grilling, broiling and boiling food
  • If you must leave the room, even for a short time, turn off the stove
  • When you are simmering, baking or roasting food, check it often, stay in the home and use a timer
  • If you have young children, use the stove’s back burners whenever possible.
  • Wear tight-fitting sleeves
  • Keep potholders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, paper and plastic bags away from the stove top.
  • Clean up food and grease from burners and stove top