As we usher in fall, the Oregon State Fire Marshal and the Oregon fire service want to remind everyone of the importance of fire safety when cooking. Each year, October is designated as Fire Prevention Month in Oregon, with four weeks dedicated to learning about fire safety.
This year’s theme for Fire Prevention Month is “Cooking Safety Starts with You. Pay Attention to Fire Prevention.”
The importance of cooking fire safety for all Oregonians should be top of mind. It’s the number one cause of home fires in our state. In 2022, of the 2,924 reported residential fires in Oregon, 537 were connected to cooking.
“In Oregon, cooking is the leading cause of home fires and causes on average $5.4 million in losses to homeowners annually,” Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said. “This October, we’re raising awareness and asking Oregonians to take action to prevent kitchen disasters.”
Be Fire Safe in the Kitchen
Cooking is the leading cause of preventable home fires. Knowing and participating in safe cooking practices in the kitchen is important for everyone. There are a few simple steps home chefs can take to keep their food edible and avoid a kitchen fire:
- Keep a close eye on what you’re cooking.
- Never leave cooking unattended.
- Clear the cooking area of things that can burn, like dish towels, food packaging, oven mitts, etc.
- Create a three-foot kid- and pet-free zone around the cooking area.
- Have a lid or cookie sheet within reach while cooking (to smother flames) in case of a fire.
- Don’t put water on a grease fire.
Stay alert
- To prevent cooking fires, you must be alert. You will not be alert if you are sleepy, have consumed alcohol, or have taken medicine or drugs that make you drowsy.
- Watch what you heat!
- The leading cause of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking.
- Stay in the kitchen when frying, boiling, grilling, or broiling food. Turn off the burner if you leave the kitchen for any reason.
- If you are simmering, baking, or roasting food, check it regularly and stay inside your home. Use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
Keep things that can catch fire away from heat sources
- Keep anything that can catch fire–oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels, curtains–away from your stovetop.
- Keep the stovetop, burners, and oven clean.
- Wear short, close-fitting, or tightly rolled sleeves when cooking. Loose clothing can dangle onto stove burners and can catch fire if it comes into contact with a gas flame or an electric burner.
- Keep things that can catch fire away from heat sources. Never use your oven or microwave as storage space. This can cause a fire.
What to do if you have a cooking fire
- Always keep a lid nearby when you are cooking. If a small grease fire starts in a pan, smother the flames by sliding the lid over the pan. Turn off the burner. Do not move the pan. To keep the fire from restarting, leave the lid on until the pan has cooled.
- Never pour water on a cooking pan grease fire.
- Only trained adults should use a fire extinguisher on a grease fire. Only Class K fire extinguishers are rated for the purpose of putting out grease and animal fat fires.
- In case of an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed until it is cool. Only open the door once you are confident the fire is completely out, standing to the side as you open the oven door.
- After a fire, the oven should be checked by a licensed professional and/or serviced before being used again.
- When in doubt, just get out! When you leave, close the door behind you to help contain the fire. After you leave, call 9-1-1 or the fire department from a mobile phone or a trusted neighbor’s phone.
- Keeping Children and Pets Away from the Cooking Area
Have a “kid-free zone” of at least three feet (one meter) around the stove and areas where hot food or drink is prepared or carried
- Never hold a child while you are cooking, drinking a hot liquid, or carrying hot foods or liquids.
- Keep pets off cooking surfaces and nearby countertops to prevent them from knocking things onto the burner.
For more guidance on messaging please visit the OSFM’s Cooking Fire Safety Website.
For more information about Fire Prevention Month and cooking safety resources, visit our website.