Winston-Salem North Carolina Fire Department reports that there were 22 kitchen cooking fires already this year. In 2016, there were 70 kitchen fires, up from 57 the year before. The Department has been installing 500 stove top fire suppression devices in high fire areas.According to the Winston-Salem Journal, “Half of home fires start in the kitchen,” said Sabrina Stowe, the department’s senior community educator. “These are totally preventable.”