Forecasters warn a "significant storm" could threaten Thanksgiving travel plans for millions of Americans. A strong cold front is forming and it's expected to hit the Midwest and Northeast early next week with freezing temperatures and strong winds. The storm could hang around until the day before Thanksgiving, the busiest travel day of the year. Triple-A says about 54-million Americans are expected to travel this Thanksgiving holiday, a 13 percent jump from last year.
Meantime, for those who are staying home there are concerns there as well. Mainly with the increased potential for cooking fires. And other safety concerns.
Check to make sure your oven is empty before turning it on.
Wear short or tight-fitting sleeves when cooking.
Turn pot handles inward over the stove.
Remember to “stand by your pan” and stay in the kitchen when boiling, frying or broiling.
Use a timer when baking or roasting and never leave the house with the oven running.
The best way to respond to a stovetop fire is to “put a lid on it” and turn off the heat.
The best way to respond to an oven or broiler fire is to keep the oven doors closed and turn off the heat.
If the fire is not quickly snuffed out, leave the house and call 9-1-1 from outside.
“Over the past five years, there have been more than twice as many fires on Thanksgiving as on the next-closest day,” State Fire Marshal Ostroskey said. “Thanksgiving is a time for coming together with family, but it’s also a time for fire safety. You can start now by making sure you have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms that can alert you to danger.”
The Fire Marshal says last Thanksgiving firefighters throughout the state were kept busy. 145 fire calls statewide, displacing more than 30 people and causing a million dollars worth of damage.
(Photo credit should read JESUS VECINO/AFP via Getty Images)