More fires start in the kitchen than anywhere else in your home. Follow our prevention tips to keep your kitchen safe.

Watch What You’re Cooking

• Do not leave the kitchen while you are cooking.
• If you have to leave the kitchen, turn the stove off or take something like a spoon or oven mitt as reminder you have food on the stove.
• Never cook if you are sleepy, intoxicated or heavily medicated.
• Turn all pot handles inward. Small children can bump into them spilling hot substances and causing someone to be burned.

Clear Your Cooking Surface

• Keep stovetops clean and clear. Keep all appliances free of grease buildup. Move items like oven mitts away from heat sources.
• Keep children away from appliances when cooking. If older children are allowed to cook, teach them safe cooking practices and watch them carefully.
• If small children are in the house, consider using the back burners of the stove.
• Keep pets away from the stove.
• Wear short or tight fitting sleeves while cooking. Use caution when reaching over the stove for other items. 
• Do not store flammable items above or behind the stove. 

If a Cooking Fire Starts

• If in doubt, get out and call 911.
• Put a lid on it. If a pan catches fire, slide a lid over the pan and turn off the stove burner. Leave the lid on until it is completely cool.
• NEVER put water on a grease fire. It will explode.
• Keep a fire extinguisher near the kitchen.
• In case of an oven or microwave fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed. Never open the door until the fire is completely out.  
• Stop, drop, and roll. If your clothes catch fire, smother them on the kitchen floor before getting out of the house.
• After a fire, check and service both ovens and microwaves before you use them again.

General Safety Tips

• Remember that steam escaping from a pan or container can cause severe burns.
• Never put metallic materials in the microwave as the resulting sparks can cause a fire.
• Keep emergency numbers where they are easy to read.