Without a doubt, Fall is the most festive time of the year. Holiday decorations, family gatherings and delicious food create cherished memories that last forever. Sadly, these wonderful memories can quickly turn to tragedy by a sudden fire caused by candles in a pumpkin, a dry Christmas tree, a lit menorah or most commonly, a cooking fire. In fact, the U.S. Fire Administration reports that the number of open-flame fires stovetop. No wonder the winter holidays are peak days for home cooking fires. Security reports that it can take just 30 seconds for a small flame How to Prevent Kitchen Fires During the Fall Holidays
to turn into a major blaze and FEMA has stated that more than 3,000 Americans die in fires each year. Fortunately, such a disaster can easily be avoided by simply installing a StoveTop FireStop in each of your rental unit kitchens.
on Christmas Day is more than double the average, and New Year’s Day runs a close second. Even worse, holiday fire fatalities are nearly 70% higher than average and property loss is 34% greater. Holidays are the time when the whole family gathers in the kitchen to cook and taste favorite dishes that they’ve been waiting all year to enjoy. But so many of those dishes involve cooking with hot oil on the stovetop. Just think about potato latkes turning golden, sausage stuffing sizzling away, sauteed candied yams and fried plantains caramelizing in a skillet. All of these traditional holiday favorites begin with heating oil in a pan and cooking them on the
Combine several of these foods frying at the same time as family members and guests become distracted and you have a recipe for disaster. It’s so easy to run to the front door to greet newly arrived guests for just a moment – long enough for a grease fire to ignite on the stove. Gas ranges are not the only cause of stovetop fires. The number of fires, injury rate and death rates are all over 2x higher with electric ranges compared to gas ranges. And the National Fire Prevention Association [NFPA] reports that 32% of home cooking fires cite unattended equipment as the leading factor in causing the fire. The Department of Homeland
HOLIDAY FIRE FATALITIES ARE NEARLY 70% HIGHER THAN AVERAGE AND PROPERTY LOSS IS 34% GREATER.
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