Kitchen fires and unattended cooking is the number one cause for accidental fires, so firefighters are telling people what to do to avoid a visit from them this season.
This advice comes after a fire overnight in Troy was believed to have started in the kitchen of the house.
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News Center 7's James Buechele talked with a fire specialist about ways people can cook safely this year.
Kitchen fires are common around the holiday season, especially as families get ready to gather around a meal.
“With Christmas time coming up, a lot more people are cooking, some people are cooking more regularly than they have in the past,” said Scott Jacobs, Fire Prevention Specialist of the Dayton Fire Department.
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Scott said the number one cause of accidental fires is kitchen or cooking related. He also said to make sure not to cook late at night.
“If you’re going to be cooking, stay in the kitchen with it and if you have to leave for whatever reason, make sure you turn your oven off or your stove off,” he said. “If you’re tired, you run the risk of falling asleep. If you fall asleep, there’re nothing to stop that food from burning and catching fire.”
