Nashua Firefighters Douse Kitchen Fire

NASHUA, NH — A kitchen fire broke out in Nashua on Oak Street Tuesday, fire officials said. The fire was reported at about 1:50 p.m., according to Nashua Deputy fire Chief Glen MacDonald.

"A cooking fire on the stove extended to the cabinets above and adjacent to the stove," MacDonald said in a statement. "The fire was confined to the first floor kitchen."

The occupants made it outside before firefighters arrived. No one was hurt.

Thanksgiving week is a peak time for home fires; on Thanksgiving 2015, there were 1,760 kitchen fires reported nationwide, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

Among kitchen fires reported in the past five years, the agency said 43 percent occurred due to unattended cooking. Three of every five kitchen fires start on the stovetop, while 13 percent begin in the oven.

The association offers the following safety tips to make your Thanksgiving dinner plans memorable for all the right reasons by preventing kitchen fires:

• "Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking on the stovetop so you can keep an eye on the food.
• Stay in the home when cooking your turkey and check on it frequently.
• Keep children at least three feet away from the stove and away from all hot food and liquids. The steam or splash from vegetables, gravy or coffee could cause serious burns.
• Keep the floor clear so you don't trip over kids, toys, pets or packages.
• Be sure electric cords from an electric knife, coffee maker, plate warmer or mixer are not dangling off the counter or close to a heat source.
• Make sure your smoke alarms are working. Test them by pushing the test button."

Related:

Kitchen Fires Peak At Thanksgiving: Tips For Safe Cooking

Photo credit: Shutterstock

Melissa Myers (Patch Staff) contributed to this report