SOUTH CAROLINA, November 20^th, 2023 — The start of the holiday season is a time to celebrate with loved loves and brush up on home fire safety. Unfortunately, Thanksgiving and the day before are the most likely days a family may experience a home fire. 

“Home fires are a real threat to South Carolinians over the Thanksgiving holiday,” said Rod Tolbert, Chief Executive Officer for the Red Cross of South Carolina. “Cooking is the leading cause of home fires, home fire injuries and the second leading cause of home fire deaths. We at the Red Cross are urging families to follow cooking safety steps to help prevent your holiday celebrations from becoming an emergency.”

To help keep you and your loved ones safe this Thanksgiving, the American Red Cross offers these safety tips:

• Keep an eye on what you fry: Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you must leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
• Move items that can burn away from the stove. This includes dishtowels, bags, boxes, paper and curtains. Also keep children and pets at least three feet away.
• Avoid wearing loose clothing or dangling sleeves while cooking.
• When frying food, turn the burner off if you see smoke or if the grease starts to boil. Carefully remove the pan from the burner.
• Keep a pan lid or a cookie sheet nearby. Use it to cover the pan if it catches on fire. This will put out the fire. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled.
• Turn pot handles to the back of the stove, so no one bumps them or pulls them over.
• Use a timer to remind yourself that the stove or oven is on. Check the kitchen before going to bed or leaving home to ensure all stoves, ovens and small appliances are turned off.
• Consider purchasing a fire extinguisher to keep in your kitchen.

You can also help keep your family safe by testing your smoke alarms monthly and practicing your home fire escape plan until everyone can get out in less than two minutes — the amount of time you may have to get out of a burning home before it’s too late.

Visit redcross.org/fire for more information, including an escape plan to practice with your family. You can also download our free Emergency app and free Red Cross First Aid app for instant access on how to control bleeding, help someone who is choking and other scenarios. Search “American Red Cross” in app stores.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

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