Winter Hazard Awareness Week Day Three: Fire Safety

UNDATED -- With the holidays on the horizon, it means a lot of cooking over the next several weeks. It also means increased fire danger in our homes.

In today's installment of Winter hazard Awareness Week, we look at fire safety.

Becki White is a Deputy State Fire Marshall who says cooking and candles are two of the three most common causes of fires.

White says when cooking, don't let yourself get distracted when frying food.  if you leave the room, a grease fire can spring up without warning.  If you are baking or boiling, set a timer to make sure you don't forget and risk a burned food fire.

If you light a candle, you should always be near to tend to it.  If you leave the room, White says put it out.  You can always re-light the candle when you return.  She says if there are children present, there are alternative candles that don't have open flames.

The other common cause of winter fires is heating, more specifically space heaters. White says keep them three feet or more away from things like drapes, clothes or other flammable items. She also says be sure to warn kids about the dangers of space heaters too.