Distracted cooking can be akin to distracted driving, according to Valdosta Fire Chief Brian Boutwell.
Valdosta recently suffered a four-day stretch that included two kitchen fires, and two of those were due to unattended cooking and occurred on Thursday evening, March 19, on West Cranford Avenue and Saturday evening, March 21, at 805 Lausanne Drive.
As restaurants close and more people are cooking at home, Boutwell spoke with The Valdosta Daily Times about fire safety practices residents should use while cooking.
Boutwell said stovetop fires typically are the most common cause of kitchen fires, and the most productive way to prevent a future fire is to not leaving items on a stove unattended.
"(People) tend to get busy, so we set (pans) on the stove. We get it started to do something and leave it unattended," Boutwell said.