Thanksgiving

Center of your family gathering

For most, the kitchen is the heart of the home, especially during the holidays. So keeping fire safety top of mind in the kitchen during this joyous but hectic time is important, especially when there’s a lot of activity and people at home. As you start preparing your holiday schedule and organizing that large family feast, remember, by following a few simple safety tips you can enjoy time with your loved ones and keep yourself and your family safer from fire.

Thanksgiving Fires by the Numbers

Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, followed by Christmas Day and Christmas Eve.
For each year from 2017 to 2019, an estimated average of 2,300 residential building fires were reported to fire departments in the U.S. on Thanksgiving Day. These fires caused an estimated annual average of 5 deaths, 25 injuries and $26 million in property loss.
Over half (54%) of Thanksgiving Day fires in residential buildings occurred from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., when many people are preparing Thanksgiving dinner. Fires then declined throughout the evening. This stands in contrast to the rest of the year, when residential building fires peaked during “normal” dinnertime hours of 5 to 8 p.m.
Cooking fires in residential buildings occurred more often on Thanksgiving Day than any other day of the year. Cooking was, by far, the leading cause of all Thanksgiving Day fires in residential buildings at 74% followed by heating at 8%. By comparison, cooking was the cause of 51% of residential building fires that occurred on all days of the year other than Thanksgiving.
In 75% of Thanksgiving Day fires in residential buildings, the fire was limited to the object of origin. An additional 11% of these fires were limited to the room of origin. The remaining 14% of Thanksgiving Day fires in residential buildings extended beyond the room of origin. Annually among all other residential building fires, 56% were limited to the object of origin, an additional 19% were limited to the room of origin, and the remaining 25% extended beyond the room of origin.