As families prepare to make their Thanksgiving meals and put up their holiday decorations this week, Henrico Fire wants to make sure everyone is safe and doing all they can to prevent fires from starting in their homes.
Henrico Battalion Chief Doug Reynolds demonstrated the steps people should take in their kitchen before preparing their Thanksgiving feasts.
First, Reynolds suggests clearing the area around your stovetop before cooking.
“No boxes. No, no roll of paper towels right here, so anything if you get a little flash fire, it’s not going to spread to the next thing,” Reynolds told NBC12. Reynolds also said people should never leave their stoves unattended as they’re cooking. If a fire does spark, Reynolds said, don’t panic.
“Try to turn the stove off, if you can, and just a matter of putting a lid on there is going to help put that fire out,” he said.