Fire officials say a Lee County man’s mobile home caught fire after he left food cooking on the stove and went to the store. Video of the event is available from WALB-TV here. The kitchen was pretty much destroyed because smoke gets up in the mobile home attic spaces which are small and the insulation gets very hot.
Never leave cooking unattended. If you must leave the room, turn off the stove, and never leave to go shopping.
A townhouse cooking fire resident is thankful that the American Red Cross is helping him find a place to stay after he had a kitchen fire this week. Although it was reported to be a small kitchen fire, via the Peabody Patch, the townhouse unit was affected by water and smoke damage. The resident was OK, according to officials.
An early morning fire at the Prince Albert YWCA on Monday was caused by combustible material being left on a stove top. A plastic kettle melted on the stove starting a fire. This is why all materials like oven mitts, paper, kitchen tools, dish towels, aprons and even post and pans should not be left on the stove where they can ignite. Read more of the story here.
According to FEMA, in the United States fire-related injuries rank fifth among unintentional injuries, after motor vehicle crashes, poisoning, falls, and drowning. One study on published medical examiner results revealed that 42% of unintentional fire and burn fatalities were intoxicated (with a blood alcohol level greater than or equal 0.1). Another study found that alcoholics in Toronto have a fire death risk 9.7 times that of the city’s population. Further, a study of deaths in North Carolina found that 53% (69 of 130) adult victims were intoxicated, and in Alabama, more than half of the victims older than 17 tested positive for alcohol. Of the 374 fire fatalities in Minnesota from 1996 to 2002, 133 (36%) were found to have positive blood alcohol concentrations.
Moral of the story? Don’t drink and cook.
It’s an old but sad story – cooking a Christmas meal led to the total destruction of a family home in Bells, part of Crockett County, Tenn. Raymond Woodward said he was cooking a Christmas meal for his family when the kitchen went up in flames.
He suffered second degree burns on his arm and hands, but managed to save his elderly mom and sister. House fires increase over the holidays when we need to be extra careful. You can read more about this tragedy here. It’s likely the Guardian system would have saved the home.
According to a recent story in the Wall Street Journal, an estimated five Americans are treated in an ER every hour for burns, scalds and related injuries from hot or poorly installed stoves. Important: most of the injuries could have been prevented with proper education about child safety gates, proper cooking clothing and installation information. A study conducted over 21 years showed that almost one million stove injuries were recorded with more than half in women.
More Cooking Fires Reported on Thanksgiving than Any Other Day
Guardian Safety Solutions International warns families that Thanksgiving can be hazardous to their health. About 45 house fires are reported every hour in the U.S., and 60 percent of apartment fires are started by cooking equipment. Sadly, children and the elderly make up the greatest national percentage of injury and death due to household fires.
“Thanksgiving is a special day with relatives, but answering the door to welcome guests can distract even the most careful cook,” said Paul Rouse, GSSI administrative officer. “Alcohol during Thanksgiving celebrations can also add to cooking inattentiveness. Next thing you know, a fire starts consuming the stove, curtains and other flammable material in the kitchen.” The popularity of turkey deep fryers has added another hazard to the celebration. The cooking oil temperature is extremely hot. Rouse said that they should be used as far from the house as possible. “It’s important to note that not one turkey fryer has been certified as safe by Underwriters Laboratories,” Rouse added. You can read more here.
TV station WAFF 48 in Alabama reports on how the holidays are one of the most dangerous times of year for household fires.
According to the report, “Cooking fires lead to more destruction than any other fires that we deal with,” said Fire Prevention Officer Dan Wilkerson. “One of the main reasons is because it’s the most common way that a fire could start in your home. Cooking fires are our number one cause of fires in the nation. Not only in Huntsville, across the nation.”
The U.S. Fire Administration statistics point to an estimated 1,900 residential building fires reported to fire departments on Thanksgiving Day, causing an estimated five deaths, 25 injuries and $28 million in property loss.
Wilkerson said that when cooking make sure you have a timer on to remind you of your meal and keep the handles of your pots and pans out of the reach of children. He also keep a fire extinguisher handy just in case.
ABC News in North Carolina reporters that an apartment building resident was heating grease and fell asleep on the couch. The grease then ignited causing smoke alarms to go off in an adjacent apartment. Neighbors called 911 but it was too late to save the life of the resident who was taken to Wilson Medical Center and pronounced dead. Many lives are lost each year from unattended cooking fires. Never leave the room when you are cooking. If you must, turn off the stove. GSSI’s range top suppression system would have saved this man’s life. Read more here.
