A State Farm customer in Atlanta recently left a pan on the stove unattended, and it caught fire. They forgot the adage and attempted to put out the fire by throwing water on it. While nobody was hurt, the damage increased.

"The result was $9,000 in insured damages to the stove, cabinets, countertops and floor," said their agent Ken Anderson, of Alpharetta, Georgia. “You should never use water to try and put out a grease fire."

It could have been worse. The average State Farm cooking/grease fire claim in the U.S. was more than $48,000 in 2018.

Georgia is the top state for cooking fire losses. Anderson has seen at least two dozen cooking-related fire claims in his 38 years as an agent. Many were made worse when oil and water mixed.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), cooking is the leading cause of home fires. One out of three home fires begins in the kitchen - more than any other place in the home. Unattended cooking is the number one cause of kitchen fires. NFPA data shows that Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires.

The oil and water pitfalls are not reserved to the kitchen. Last year, around Thanksgiving, one of Ken's customers attempted to fry a frozen turkey. In addition to not having thawed the bird, the customer had too much oil in the fryer. When he dropped the turkey in, the hot oil spilled over, leaving him with second degree burns and a damaged deck.

Among the advice Ken shares with customers?

“Make sure you have smoke detectors and fire extinguishers that are up to date,” he said. “And, keep a cooking or grease fire-approved fire extinguisher nearby when cooking or frying.”

It pays to follow the advice. In 2018, State Farm paid more than $118 million for nearly 2,500 cooking/grease fire homeowners* claims across the U.S.

*Note: excludes renters and condo unit claims.

Because many families and friends engage in cooking during the holidays, it is important to follow some basic safety tips:

• Always keep an eye on what you are cooking/frying. Never leave the cooking area unattended.
• Keep anything that can catch fire — oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains — away from your stovetop.
• Keep a lid beside the pan when cooking. If a fire starts, slide the lid over the pan and turn off the burner. Never throw water on a grease fire.
• Keep a fire extinguisher approved for cooking or grease fires nearby. Make sure your smoke alarms are working.

Mouse over (or touch on mobile) the + on the interactive image below to see the safety tips.

A State Farm customer in Atlanta recently left a pan on the stove unattended, and it caught fire. They forgot the adage and attempted to put out the fire by throwing water on it. While nobody was hurt, the damage increased.

"The result was $9,000 in insured damages to the stove, cabinets, countertops and floor," said their agent Ken Anderson, of Alpharetta, Georgia. “You should never use water to try and put out a grease fire."

It could have been worse. The average State Farm cooking/grease fire claim in the U.S. was more than $48,000 in 2018.

Georgia is the top state for cooking fire losses. Anderson has seen at least two dozen cooking-related fire claims in his 38 years as an agent. Many were made worse when oil and water mixed.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), cooking is the leading cause of home fires. One out of three home fires begins in the kitchen - more than any other place in the home. Unattended cooking is the number one cause of kitchen fires. NFPA data shows that Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires.

The oil and water pitfalls are not reserved to the kitchen. Last year, around Thanksgiving, one of Ken's customers attempted to fry a frozen turkey. In addition to not having thawed the bird, the customer had too much oil in the fryer. When he dropped the turkey in, the hot oil spilled over, leaving him with second degree burns and a damaged deck.

Among the advice Ken shares with customers?

“Make sure you have smoke detectors and fire extinguishers that are up to date,” he said. “And, keep a cooking or grease fire-approved fire extinguisher nearby when cooking or frying.”

It pays to follow the advice. In 2018, State Farm paid more than $118 million for nearly 2,500 cooking/grease fire homeowners* claims across the U.S.

*Note: excludes renters and condo unit claims.

Because many families and friends engage in cooking during the holidays, it is important to follow some basic safety tips:

• Always keep an eye on what you are cooking/frying. Never leave the cooking area unattended.
• Keep anything that can catch fire — oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains — away from your stovetop.
• Keep a lid beside the pan when cooking. If a fire starts, slide the lid over the pan and turn off the burner. Never throw water on a grease fire.
• Keep a fire extinguisher approved for cooking or grease fires nearby. Make sure your smoke alarms are working.

Mouse over (or touch on mobile) the + on the interactive image below to see the safety tips.

In 2017, State Farm paid more than $130 million for nearly 2,700 cooking/grease fire homeowners* claims across the U.S.

*Note: excludes renters and condo unit claims.

Because many families and friends gather in the kitchen during the holidays, it is important to follow some cooking safety tips to keep your kitchen free of fire risks and hazards.

Here are some easy cooking safety reminders from NFPA and a Recipe4Safety card you can download for your own kitchen.

What you should know about home cooking safety

• Be on alert! If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol, don’t use the stove or stovetop.
• Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling, boiling, or broiling food.
• If you are simmering, baking, or roasting food, check it regularly, remain in the kitchen while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
• Keep anything that can catch fire — oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains — away from your stovetop.

If you have a cooking fire

• Just get out! When you leave, close the door behind you to help contain the fire.
• Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number after you leave.
• If you try to fight the fire, be sure others are getting out and you have a clear way out.
• Keep a lid nearby when you’re cooking to smother small grease fires. Smother the fire by sliding the lid over the pan and turn off the stovetop. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled.
• For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed.

 Safety considerations for cooking with oil

• Always stay in the kitchen when frying on the stovetop.
• Keep an eye on what you fry. If you see wisps of smoke or the oil smells, immediately turn off the burner and/or carefully remove the pan from the burner. Smoke is a danger sign that the oil is too hot.
• Heat the oil slowly to the temperature you need for frying or sautéing.
• Add food gently to the pot or pan so the oil does not splatter.
• Always cook with a lid beside your pan. If you have a fire, slide the lid over the pan and turn off the burner. Do not remove the cover because the fire could start again. Let the pan cool for a long time. Never throw water on the fire.
• If the fire does not go out or you don’t feel comfortable sliding a lid over the pan, get everyone out of your home. Call the fire department from outside.

Mouse over the dots on the interactive image below to see the safety tips.

Additional Resources:

• Cooking Fire Safety Video
• National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Resources-Cooking Fires
• Turkey Fryer Safety

Wishing you and yours a healthy, happy, SAFE holiday season!

Holiday Decorating Tips

Follow these tips to help keep your home safe:

Candles

• Keep candles on a stable, heat-resistant surface and at least one foot away in all directions from combustible items.
• Don’t leave candles unattended or within reach of children and pets.
• Don’t allow candles to burn to the bottom of their container.
•  Try using “flameless” candles instead.

Lights:

• Use only lights that have been tested for safety by a nationally recognized testing laboratory, such as UL. Lights for both indoor and outdoor usage must meet strict requirements that testing laboratories are able to verify.
• Check each set of lights, new or old, for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections.
• Check outdoor lights for labels showing that the lights have been certified for outdoor use, and only plug them into a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI)-protected receptacle or a portable GFCI.

Selecting and using extension cords:

• Purchase only cords that have been approved by an independent testing laboratory.
• For outdoor projects, use only extension cords marked for outdoor use.
• Avoid powering multiple appliances with one cord.
• Never use indoor extension cords outdoors.
• Don’t plug multiple cords together.
• Don’t run extension cords under rugs or furniture and never staples or nails.
• Stop using extension cords that feel hot to the touch.

Additional Decorating Content Links:

• Your Guide to Safe Holiday Decorating
• How to Avoid a Holiday Decorating Disaster

Holiday Cooking Safety Tips:

• The leading cause of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking.
• Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling, boiling or broiling food.
• Keep anything that can catch fire — oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains — away from your stovetop.
• Always cook with a lid beside your pan. If you have a fire, slide the lid over the pan and turn off the burner. Do not remove the cover because the fire could start again. Let the pan cool for a long time.
• Never throw water on a kitchen fire.
• Make sure you have working smoke alarms.

Turkey Fryer Fires:

• More than one-third of fires involving a fryer start in a garage or patio. Cook outdoors on a flat level surface, at least 10 feet away from any buildings or trees and keep the fryer off any wooden structures, such as a deck or patio.
• Shut off the fuel source or flame when adding the turkey to the hot oil to prevent a dangerous flare-up, which can occur when oil spills over the rim.
• Make sure your turkey is properly thawed and dried before lowering it slowly into the pot.
• Never leave a hot turkey fryer unattended.
• Do not use ice or water to cool down oil or extinguish an oil fire.
• Keep an extinguisher approved for cooking or grease fire nearby.

Additional Holiday Cooking Content Links:​

• Eat, Fry, Love: A Cautionary Remix
• Putting Kitchen Safety First

Holiday Shopping Tips

Parking lots are busy and have increased vehicle and pedestrian traffic during the holiday season.

• Use identified travel lanes and watch out for others cutting across lanes.
• Slow down and watch out for cars backing up.
• Watch for pedestrians.
• Park away from other vehicles to help avoid door dings.
• Store purchases, packages, and valuables out of sight.
• Always lock your vehicle and take your keys.

Additional Holiday Shopping Content Links:​

• 16 Travel Safety Tips
• Holiday Safety Alert
• Home Safe Home
• Hustle and Bustle and Fire and Burglary - Keep your Home Safe This Holiday Season
• Tips for a Safer Holiday Season

As far back as I can remember my family has always flocked to the kitchen during the holidays – a beloved and common occurrence in most Latino homes. Over the years this gathering became an annual, multigenerational holiday celebration in our family that still carries on today.

Each year, we came together to prepare tamales – a traditional staple for Hispanic holiday fiestas. It’s a recipe that required everyone to help out, including the children. As a result, my abuela enforced certain rules to avoid the risk of cooking fires. Here are some of the rules and tips I learned from her and apply in my own kitchen with my family.

Maintain a “kid-free zone”

My abuela kept us children away from the heat and open flames of the stove. As a young girl, I was often assigned small, yet safer tasks, like washing banana leaves used to wrap tamales.

Keep flammable items away from your stovetop

Cooking with open flames is a common method of cooking for Hispanic families. Items that can easily catch fire – oven mitts, wooden utensils or food packaging – should be kept at a safe distance. I can still remember the slightly singed dish towels and potholders in my mom’s kitchen. They were a good reminder to remove stovetop clutter.

Take precaution when cooking with oils

Many Latin dishes involve cooking with oils, and my home is no exception. My abuela abided by a few important rules: always keep an eye on what you’re frying, add food gently to your cooking oil and lay a net guard, screen or lid on top of the pan.

Keep your eye on the stove

Another important tip I share with my children today is to never leave a stove unattended and here’s why. A friend of mine, Lori, needed to boil water a few Fridays ago. She put the water to boil and then went to the living room to watch the evening news. 

About 10 minutes later she smelled what seemed to be a match burning. She turned back, and the kitchen was filled with thick white smoke. Turns out she had turned on the wrong burner. One that had a plastic container sitting on it and the container was on fire.

Lori didn’t have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and the smoke detection system (remember to check your smoke detectors twice a year!) for the front of the house had not gone off. Had she fallen asleep, this situation could have turned out very different.

Always check the oven before you preheat

If you are like me and my friend Marcia’s grandma, you keep unused kitchen items, like pots and pans, in your oven. And sometimes you forget they are in there when you preheat your oven.

Marcia’s grandmother was living by herself in an apartment with limited space compared to her home that she lived in for years. So to make space, she stored pots and pans in her oven.

Over the holidays a couple of years back, she was heating the oven to make a pie but she forgot the items were in the oven. One of the items was a plastic microwave pot with lid.

Well, you can imagine what happened next. Fire in the oven…luckily, Marcia was there and saw it and called 911. Two fire trucks and about 10 firemen later…the small fire was extinguished. There was no damage to the apartment but she learned to never store anything in the oven again!

From my kitchen to yours, please enjoy the holiday season with your families and kept your loved ones safe!