5 Thanksgiving Day Safety Tips from Yakima Valley Firefighters

Did you know that the most house fires in the Yakima Valley tend to occur on Thanksgiving Day? That's why I think these urgent last-minute Thanksgiving Day safety reminders are important for you to read--and share--and they come straight from some of our Yakima Valley firefighters.

Shout out to the City of Yakima Firefighters! Photo Credit: City of Yakima Fire Department

Be Extra Safe on Turkey Day (and any other day ending in Y)

I learned the hard way how easy it is to start a cooking fire. There was this one time some years back when I thought could hack making a grilled cheese sandwich by turning my toaster on its side. BIG MISTAKE. Don't ever try that!

The grease from inside my toaster caught on fire and we had to run out of the house to grab a fire extinguisher from the common area of our apartment complex and put out the fire. I was very lucky I didn't burn the place down!

Cooking fires are the biggest source of house fires on certain holidays, and the City of Yakima Fire Department and West Valley Fire-Rescue say that we are 4 times more likely to start a cooking fire on, you guessed it, Thanksgiving Day!

"The average number of reported residential building fires on Thanksgiving Day was more than double (2.3 times more) the average number of fires in residential buildings on all other days." - U.S. Fire Administration

Shout out to our West Valley Fire-Rescue team! Photo Credit: West Valley Fire-Rescue via Facebook

It's LIT - 5 Big Tips from Yakima Firefighters to Use on Thanksgiving Day

1. Watch what you're cooking. Don't leave food unattended if it's cooking on the stove. Also, check on that turkey in the oven every now and then to make sure it hasn't somehow caught on fire!

2. Keep the kids out of the kitchen, or at least 3 feet away from the hot stove.

3. Check your smoke alarms to make sure they are working properly. Many local apartment complexes are required by law to have them working and renters' insurance claims could be denied if your alarm was not working at the time of disaster.

4. Keep kids away from dinner table candles (and any other places you have lit candles present). Keep them away from matches and lighters, too!

5. Don't leave electrical cords dangling or tangling. The last thing you need is a cord to catch fire and then start a huge blaze!

There are more safety tips from our local firefighters that I think you should read.