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Safety - Cooking Fires are a
Continuing Problem
NFPA study finds fires caused by cooking are
declining more slowly than home fires
According to a new study released on January 20, 2005,
from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), fires caused by
cooking remain the leading cause of home fires and home-fire injuries.
Although cooking fires have been declining, they are declining at a much
slower rate than home fires with other causes.
Why do these fires happen? Frequently it’s because
people leave cooking food unattended. Often the fire starts within the
first 15 minutes of cooking, showing that there is no safe period of
time to leave cooking unattended.
In 2001, the NFPA study found, there were 117,100 home
fires involving cooking equipment. These fires resulted in 370 civilian
death, 4290 civilian injuries, and $453 million in property damage.
But that’s only part of the story. Minor cooking fires
cause hidden harm that doesn’t show up in the official tallies. An
independent study found that each year, there are some 12.3 million
cooking fires that are never reported to authorities, accounting for
more than half of all unreported fires. In most case, these unreported
cooking fires were confined to the cooking materials that first caught
fire. But they are responsible for an estimates 642,000 injuries or
illnesses (including headaches and dizziness) each year- another reason
why cooking fires are a concern.
Cooking fires are also dangerous because people can
easily try putting them out the wrong way. What may first come to mind-
using a fire extinguisher or splashing water- can make matters worse
when it’s a cooking fire, because these methods can cause splattering
that spreads rather than contains the fire. Cooking fires should be
smothered- by covering a pan with a lid or closing the oven door, for
example.
Two out of three cooking fires in 2001 involved the
range, particularly the stovetop. Electric ranges have a higher risk of
fires and related injuries and property damage than gas ranges, but gas
ranges have a slightly higher risk of fire deaths. Electric ranges have
become more widely used in recent years: the percentage of households
using gas ranges declined from 47.2 percent in 1980 to 39.7 percent in
2001, while during the same period, the percentage of households using
electric ranges increased from 52.1 percent to 59.9 percent.
The NFPA recommends these steps to reduce the risk of
cooking fires:
- Make sure combustible items, such as rags, pot
holders, curtains and bags, are kept far from the cooking surfaces.
- Don’t leave cooking food on the stovetop and keep
a close eye on food inside the oven.
- Don’t cook if you’re drowsy or feeling the
effects of alcohol, medications, or other drugs.
- Roll up sleeves and don’t wear loose fitting
clothing. If your clothes catch fire, stop, drop, and roll until
fire is out.
- Clean cooking equipment regularly to remove
grease on cooking materials that can ignite.
- Keep children and pets away from cooking areas by
creating a three foot “kid-free zone” around the stove.
Reprinted with permission of the
Residential Fire Safety Institute |
