Safe & Insured for Holiday Cooking

Cooking is the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries. As many families will have packed houses and full kitchens on Thanksgiving, Pennsylvania's State Fire Commission is reminding people to stay safe on the holiday.

There are twice as many house fired reported on Thanksgiving each year compared to other day in the U.S.

There are more distractions, recipes are more complicated, and turkey fryers are often an accident waiting to happen.

To stay safe, the commission says people should check their smoke alarms, have a functioning fire extinguisher, and plan their cooking schedule ahead of time so things don't get overcooked.

Cooks should also never leave the room when food is cooking on the stove top. With many distractions, being extra vigilant that children and pets stay away from cooking food is also important.

In addition to safety tips, Pennsylvania's Insurance Department reminded home owners to take advantage of their insurance if anything does go wrong. They also spoke on how critical renters insurance can be.

"The most common renter's claims is actually due to fire in the event of a fire. A landlord's insurance policy will typically only cover the building, the structure of the facility,” Michael Humphreys, PA Insurance Commissioner. "It most likely will not cover the renter's personal contents. Renter's insurance will."

Renters insurance does average around 20-30$ a month... But can be started at anytime. Including tomorrow morning before any holiday issues arise.

For anyone who does have to make a claim, the Department offered a few tips. Filing a claim as soon as possible after an incident is critical. Insurance companies then have 10 business days to respond to the claim.

Humphreys urged clients to keep record of all conversations and when they happened so they can reference the conversations further into the claims process if issues arise.

It’s important to take picture of damaged property and to not throw away the property until the insurance company clears you to do so.

Finally, temporary repairs are okay immediately, but permanent repairs should be avoided  until the claim is processed and the insurance company has laid out steps forward.