Cooking Fires Spike Over Holidays, Oklahoma Insurance Agent Says

You might think that Christmas trees might be to blame for fires around this time of year, but cooking fires happen more often.

One local insurance agent is offering his advice on how to protect your home from erupting in flames.

‘Tis the season for indulging. Whether you love the turkey and all the trimmings or the baked goods dripping with sugar, your kitchen will likely see a lot of use over the next few weeks.

But that also means the danger for kitchen fires will increase.

Studies estimate more than 160,000 cooking fires happen in homes each year.

State Farm insurance agent Jim Campos says most can be prevented.

He advises to keep things like cooking utensils, oven mitts, and even other bits of food should be kept away from cooking surfaces like the stove.

"The majority of your home fires occur during Thanksgiving," he said. "That's because the cooking is left unattended or items are placed closed to the fire that shouldn't be there."

Oil and grease fires cause the majority of those cooking fires.

But simply paying attention can keep you and your family safe and keep those fire statistics down.

"Be aware," Campos said. "Never leave your cooking unattended because that's the No. 1 cause of home fires in the United States."

Earlier this week, a cooking fire erupted at Tulsa's London Square Apartments.

Investigators say a woman left food on the stove when it caught fire.

The woman was not in the apartment when it burst into flames, but her two young nieces were inside.

The two little girls died in that fire.