Fire Safety During Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is often celebrated with delectable home-cooked meals, but a cooking-related home fire can signal doom for you and your loved ones. The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI) and the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO) alert Tennessee residents to take additional precautions to be fire-safe in the kitchen when preparing holiday meals as families throughout the state assemble for Thanksgiving Day feasts on Thursday, November 28th. According to new data from the National Fire Protection Association, Thanksgiving is the day with the highest number of home-cooking fires in the United States, with over three times the daily average. Cooking fires are the most common cause of house fires in Tennessee. Cooking equipment was involved in more than 18.54% of all house-building fires reported in Tennessee in 2023. According to the Tennessee Fire Incident Reporting System, those fires caused about $9.5 million in direct property damage, 27 civilian injuries, and 7 firefighter injuries.