Stay safe this Thanksgiving by keeping an eye on cooking food, keeping kids and pets away from the stove, and knowing what to do in the event of a grease or oven fire. (Sun file photo)

NORWICH — The City of Norwich Fire Department (NFD) is reminding area residents to stay safe this Thanksgiving by following proper safety precautions to prevent fires in the kitchen.

NFD Chief Jan Papelino said fires can be more common during the holiday season, both due to the increase in cooking and the use of home heating appliances.

While cooking, he recommends ensuring at least one person remains in the kitchen while food is on the stove or in the oven to prevent fires and accidental spills.

"Especially if you’re cooking on top of the stove, somebody should always be inside the kitchen just keeping an eye on stuff. One of the things when we have stove fires, a lot of times people have stepped out of the room for a little bit and had something going on the stove," Papelino explained. "There should always be somebody in the kitchen, and they should make sure that the kids stay away from the stove just so they don’t pull a hot pot down on themselves."

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, Papelino also cautioned individuals who plan to deep fry their turkeys.

"They’ve got one of those big vats that they’ve got oil in and they put their turkey in that. A couple things they’ve got to be careful of with them: make sure it’s completely thawed. Try and make sure it’s dry. You don’t want a lot of moisture with it because that will react in the oil when you put it in. it makes the oil splatter more, which could cause a fire," he said. "You want to put it in slowly. You don’t want to just drop it into the oil because that will make the oil splash and you could wind up with a fire that way."

In the event of a grease fire in a pot or pan, Papelino said it's important not to pour water on it in an attempt to put out the flames. Instead, he said the best course of action is to smother it with a lid that will completely cover the top of the pan.

"If you’ve got a grease fire or something in a pot, the best thing would be is to put the lid on it or put a lid of some type on it that's right there," he said. "Leave the lid on it until you’re really sure that the fire is out. The worst thing you could do is put the lid on it and then pick it up to check it and have it flare up again, and more than likely you're going to drop the lid and the fire is just going to progress."

If a pot or pan begins to smoke, Papelino said it should be removed from the heat and covered with a lid. If the pan is smoking excessively, it can be covered with a lid, taken outside, and placed away from the home and any flammable structures or materials.

Papelino said it's not unusual for oven fires to occur around the holidays, which can be difficult to extinguish. In these cases, Papelino said it's best to call 911 as soon as possible.

"If it’s a fire inside your oven, they’re not really easy to put out because even shutting the door, it’s still going to get air. So it’s going to keep on burning until that grease on the bottom is all burned out," Papelino said. "If you can't just put a lid over top of it, like in a pot or something like that, then it would probably be best to call as soon as possible."

With the weather getting colder, many individuals turn to portable space heaters to keep their homes warm. However, Papelino said these appliances can pose risks if not used properly.

"It shouldn’t be going if you're not in the room, kind of like the stove, and you’ve just got to watch combustibles around it. You’ve got to watch animals because a cat or dog could knock it over," Papelino explained.

"A lot of the new ones have automatic shut-offs if they get knocked over. That’s a really good safety factor, but the best thing is if you can figure out a way not to use them at all, that's even better," he continued. "But if you don’t have any choice, I understand, because there’s some places that may have a section of their house that gets a little cool and they want some auxiliary heat in that area. But you’ve just got to be careful with it and use some common sense. Keep flammables away from it, children, and animals."

Other ways to prevent fires both during the holidays and year round include ensuring smoke alarms are in working condition on every floor of the home. Ideally, Papelino said smoke alarms should be placed in a room adjacent to the kitchen, in every bedroom, and in common areas outside of bedrooms.

"You should have a fire extinguisher handy," he added. "Everyone should have one in their residence."