Iowa Department of Public Safety
Eugene T. Meyer, Commissioner
215 East 7th Street
Des Moines, Iowa 50319
Telephone Number: (515) 725-6182
Facsimile Number: (515) 725-6195

James F. Kenkel, Director

DON'T BURN UP THE TURKEY OR BURN DOWN THE HOUSE THIS THANKSGIVING

Des Moines, IOWA --- The State Fire Marshal Division is joining with the National Fire Protection Association to make fire safety a top priority this Thanksgiving.

“Thanksgiving is the top day for cooking fires in the United States,” said State Fire Marshal Jim Kenkel. “The holiday accounts for three times the daily average of cooking fires, and we want to make sure that Iowans have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.”

Cooking is the leading cause of home fires. From 2003-2006, fire departments in the United States responded to more than 150,000 home structure fires involving cooking equipment each year. These fires caused an annual average of 500 deaths, 4,660 injuries and more than $750 million in property damage. Unattended cooking was by far the leading contributing factor in these fires. Placing flammable materials too close to cooking equipment ranked second, and unintentionally turned on equipment or equipment not turned off ranked third. Fifty seven percent of reported home cooking fire injuries occurred when victims tried to fight the fire themselves.

“There are a number of things people can do to stay safe this Thanksgiving as it relates to cooking fires. Never leave food unattended while you are cooking,” reminded Kenkel.

Other cooking with caution guidelines include:

• Stay alert! If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol, don’t use the stove or stovetop.
• Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen, even for a minute, turn off the stove.
• Check simmering, baking, roasting or boiling food regularly and remain in the home while food is cooking. Use a timer to remind you that food is cooking.
• Keep anything that can catch fire- oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains- away from your stovetop.

If you have a cooking fire:

• Keep a lid nearby when you’re cooking to smother small grease fires. Smother the fire by sliding the lid over the pan and turn off the stovetop. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled.
• For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the oven door closed.
• When in doubt, get out! When you leave, close the door behind you to help contain the fire.
• Call 911 or the local emergency number after you leave.

To enroll in the DPS E-mail Notification system simply log on to https://dpsemailnotify.iowa.gov and follow the instructions to enroll as a new user.