GRAND TRAVERSE COUNTY — Thanksgiving is now less than a week away.
It’s a time when many of you spend a lot of extra time cooking.
It’s also a time when fire departments across the nation and here in Northern Michigan see an increase in calls for kitchen fires.
The Grand Traverse Metro Fire Department is on stand-by just in case what you’re doing in the kitchen on Thanksgiving gets out of hand.
According to the latest data available, the National Fire Protection Association says 1,446 cooking fires were reported on Thanksgiving Day in 2023, that is a 388% increase over what happens during a normal day.
“Stay in the kitchen. That way, you can keep, you know, children, at least three feet away, and you can always monitor it. And that way you’re prepared in case there was any type of issue,” said Grand Traverse Metro Fire Chief Paul Mackin.
That seems like common sense, right?
There are plenty of distractions and it only takes a split second for things to go wrong.
“You have more people coming over, friends and family. You have football on. You have the Lions on. And you’re using the stove and oven more than you are on a day-to-day basis,” said Grand Traverse Metro Fire Safety Public Educator Katie Birecki.
If you do have a stove top or oven fire, don’t use water to put it out. Use a lid to cover it.
It’s also best to have a home fire extinguisher on hand because flames can spread quickly.
“You can get them at Target, Walmart — any home improvement store. They’re about 20 to 30 bucks,” Birecki said.
If something catches fire inside your oven, make sure the oven door is closed and turn it off.
“While a lot of people use their oven to bake their turkeys. Another popular method is frying it. But there are some things you need to remember before you put it in this pot,” Birecki said.
A fire could easily start if you don’t properly prepare before frying the turkey, like making sure there’s not too much oil in the fryer and having your bird completely thawed.
“That’s why you read the directions first. Yeah. Is this like the one of the biggest mistakes people make is I would say like, the most common thing. Absolutely yes,” Birecki said.
A result of kitchen fires or just merely touching a hot surface can end up with you getting burnt.
“If it’s not that serious a burn, maybe a mild burn. You can put cool water or a cool compress on your burn. If there’s any bubbling or any skin peeling or any severe redness, that’s when you would go to the E.R. and get that burn checked out,” Birecki said.