Thanksgiving falls on November 26 this year, and it is the peak day of the year for home cooking fires in the United States, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Christmas Day and Christmas Eve rank second and third. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission puts the Thanksgiving average at about 1,400 cooking fires, more than three times the number on an average day. For a host, most of what moves that risk is decided before the guests arrive: who is watching the stove, where the children and the dog are standing, where the fryer goes and whether the smoke alarms work.

What the fire data shows

Cooking is a leading cause of reported home fires, home fire injuries and home fire deaths. In NFPA's estimates, averaged over 2020 through 2024, kitchen and cooking equipment was involved in 48 percent of home structure fires, 35 percent of home fire injuries and 16 percent of home fire deaths. The CPSC's own residential fire estimates, covering 2019 to 2021, attribute 45 percent of residential fires to cooking; the two figures come from different datasets and periods, and both put cooking at the top.

NFPA's breakdown of home cooking fires, also averaged over 2020 to 2024, shows where they start. Two thirds begin when food or other cooking materials ignite. Ranges and cooktops account for 51 percent. Unattended equipment is a factor in a quarter of reported home cooking fires and in half of the deaths connected to them. Clothing is the first item to catch in less than 1 percent of these fires but accounts for 4 percent of the deaths.

Set up the kitchen for a crowd

The CPSC's holiday guidance asks for a zone of at least three feet around the cooking area that children and pets stay out of. A host can mark that zone before guests arrive, with a gate, a table or simply an assigned helper who keeps it clear. Pot handles turned inward, toward the back of the stove, are harder to knock or grab. Oven mitts, wooden utensils, dish towels and food packaging stay away from the burners.

NFPA's guidance is to stay in the kitchen while anything is frying, grilling, boiling or broiling, and to check simmering, baking and roasting food regularly with a timer running as a reminder. It also says not to use the stove when sleepy or after drinking alcohol. On a day with a long cooking schedule and a house full of people, assigning one sober adult to the stove for each shift is one way to cover that.

If a pan or the oven catches fire

For a grease fire on the stovetop, the CPSC and NFPA both say to slide a lid over the pan and turn off the burner, and never to use water. NFPA adds that the pan stays covered until it has cooled completely. For an oven fire, NFPA's guidance is to turn off the heat and keep the door closed. A lid within reach of the stove and a fire extinguisher the host knows how to use are both on the CPSC's list.

Turkey fryers go outdoors, away from the house

The CPSC, in its November 2022 holiday release, said it was aware of 217 fire or scald and burn incidents involving turkey fryers since 2000, resulting in 83 injuries and $9.5 million in property loss. Its 2025 holiday release sums up its fryer guidance in four steps: carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions; do not overheat the oil, and use an oil with a high smoke point; do not overfill the fryer; and keep the fryer out of the garage, off the deck and away from the house.

The placement rule is the one that shapes a hosting plan. A fryer set up on open ground away from walls, overhangs and the deck needs a spot chosen in daylight, a clear path that guests and children will not cross, and an adult who stays with it for the whole cook.

Check the smoke alarms this week

The CPSC's guidance calls for a working smoke alarm on every level of the home, outside each sleeping area and inside each bedroom. Overnight guests sleeping in a den, a basement or a converted office count as a sleeping area. Testing every alarm a few days before the holiday leaves time to replace batteries or units.

Where to find more

The CPSC's Holiday Safety Information Center collects its guidance on cooking, decorating and toys, and NFPA's cooking safety page has its full tip sheets, including an easy-to-read version for printing and posting in the kitchen. Hazards from cooking products can be reported to the CPSC at SaferProducts.gov.

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