• Dryers & washing machines
• Portable generators
• Candles
• Cooking
• Cooking safety tips
• Keep Your Community Cooking Safely
• Videos and presentations
• Grills
• Microwave ovens
• Cooking oil
• Turkey fryers
• Electrical
• Heating
• Smoking

Cooking

Be on the alert! If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol, don't use the stove or stovetop. Read all of NFPA's cooking safety tips and download our free safety tip sheet. AUDIO Lorraine Carli, NFPA Vice President of Communications, talks about cooking safety: Simple ways to prevent cooking fires  Clothes and cooking fires  When do most cooking fires occur?  Why you should avoid fighting a cooking fire  The leading cause of cooking fires

In 2010, cooking was involved in an estimated 156,400 home structure fires that were reported to U.S. fire departments. These fires caused 410 deaths, 5,310 injuries and $993 million in direct property damage. Cooking caused 44% of reported home fires, 16% of home fire deaths, 40% of home fire injuries, and 15% of the direct property damage in 2010.
Source: NFPA's latest estimates of Home Cooking Fires - 2010 (PDF, 131 KB) 

Facts & figures 

• Unattended cooking was by far the leading contributing factor in these fires. 
• Two-thirds (66%) of home cooking fire started with the ignition of food or other cooking materials.
• Clothing was the item first ignited in less than 1% of these fires, but these incidents accounted 14% of the cooking fire deaths.
• Ranges accounted for the largest share (58%) of home cooking fire incidents. Ovens accounted for 16%.
• Three of every five (58%) reported non-fatal home cooking fire injuries occurred when the victims tried to fight the fire themselves.
• Frying poses the greatest risk of fire.
• Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires.

Source: NFPA's "Home Fires Involving Cooking Equipment" report by Marty Ahrens, November 2011.

Also see: Printable fact sheet on home fires involving cooking equipment.(PDF, 76 KB)

*Homes include one- and two-family dwellings, apartments (regardless of ownership), and manufactured housing.

NFPA does not test, label or approve any products.
Updated: 5/12

In this Section:

Cooking safety tips What you need to know about staying fire-safe in the kitchen. Microwave ovens One of the leading home products associated with scald burn injuries.

Keep Your Community Cooking Safely An online toolkit for public educators. Cooking oil An oil fire can surge up and out of the pan almost instantly.

Videos and presentations USFA, NFPA produced these videos and presentation tools . Turkey fryers NFPA discourages the use of outdoor gas-fueled turkey fryers.

Grills Learn how to use your gas-fueled or charcoal grill safely.