Cooking #1 Cause of Home Fires and Injuries
In 2010, there were 9,806 residential fires in Massachusetts involving cooking. These incidents resulted in one civilian death, 95 civilian injuries, 32 firefighter injuries and an estimated $6.9 million in property damage.

New Cooking Fire Safety Campaign
This fall the Department of Fire Services will be launching a statewide cooking fire safety public awareness campaign. The two main messages are Stand by Your Pan to prevent cooking fires and Put a Lid on it to safely put grease fires out. The television and radio public service announcements will air this fall and feature local celebrity Chef Ming Tsai. He owns a famous Wellesley restaurant and hosts his own television cooking show.

We hope fire educators and partners concerned with injury prevention will help spread the message on cooking safety. The Department of Fire Services has a new cooking hazard prop that fire departments can borrow for presentations.

For campaign materials, check out our Cooking Fire Safety Tool Kit

Cooking Safety Tips

  • Put a lid on a grease fire to smother it, and then turn off the heat. Baking soda will also work.
  • Never move a burning pan. You can be badly burned and/or spread the fire.
  • Never through water or use a fire extinguisher on a grease fire. Water will only spread the fire and the force of the extinguisher can splash flaming grease out of the pan.
  • Stand by your pan. Don't leave food, grease or oils cooking on the stovetop unattended.
  • Wear short or tight-fitting sleeves when cooking. Loose fitting clothing can easily catch fire.
  • If your clothing catches fire, STOP, DROP & ROLL to put out the flames. Put burns in cool running water. Call 9-1-1 for help.
  • Keep pot handled turned inward to prevent accidental spills of hot contents.
  • Create a three-foot " child-free zone" around the stove. Keep children and pets away from the stove while cooking to prevent burns and scalds.
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Cooking Liquids #1 Cause of Scald Burns

  • When holding a baby, put your coffee or other hot beverage down. A baby can move your arm and accidentally spill the scalding drink all over himself/herself.
  • Place hot beverages and soups towards the center of the table, where babies cannot reach.
  • Consider replacing tablecloths with place mats to prevent your child from pulling everything on the table onto him/her.

Burn First Aid

Remember to cool a burn under cool running water for 10-15 minutes and call 9-1-1 or seek medical attention for serious burns.