Don't forget: Only you can prevent kitchen fires

COEUR d'ALENE — Craig Etherton knows there's going to be a lot of cooking in the kitchen this holiday season.

And regrettably, it gets hotter than intended, and the result is sometimes more than a meal and Coeur d'Alene firefighters end up coming to your door to cool things down.

Cooking fires continue to be the greatest cause for all structure fires in the U.S.

Turkey fryer fires, despite warnings, still happen. And combustible items placed near burners catch fire, too.

But it's not carelessness that causes most cooking fires. It's not remembering you started that fire and must keep an eye on iut.

"Most cooking fires are caused by people forgetting they're cooking," said Etherton, fire inspector with the Coeur d'Alene Fire Department. "People start to visit with guests, or leave to go to the store, or take a phone call and forget what they're doing."

The CDA Fire Department offers a few holiday cooking safety reminders.

• Always stay in the kitchen while cooking and limit distractions such as televisions and cell phones

• Keep children away from the stove. Kids should stay three feet from stoves and hot appliances unless being supervised by an adult.

• Keep floors clear of spills to decrease the risk of slips and falls.

Wear fitted clothing and avoid loose fitting clothing which may catch fire or hang up on pots and pans.

• Keep matches and lighters away from children and locked away

Ensure three feet of clearance to combustible materials like curtains if using candles.

• Never leave the house with candles are burning. Blow out candles when you leave the room.

• Don’t fry turkeys inside where a flare up can spread to your home

Ensure that turkeys are fully thawed before adding to hot oil. Frozen turkeys cause expansion of your boiling oil that can spill out of the pot and spread to your home or deck.

• And most important of all is to ensure that your smoke detectors are installed and operational. Working smoke alarms are the best way to survive a fire in your home.