In 2006, Thanksgiving Day topped the charts once again as the peak day for home cooking fires. According to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports, there were 1,400 home structure fires involving cooking equipment that year, which is more than three times the daily average.

Cooking is the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries. Each year, hundreds of people in the United States are killed in fires that involve cooking equipment and thousands more are injured. Annually, these fires result in more than half a billion dollars in direct property damage to homes and their contents.

“Cooking fires can easily be prevented by following a few simple precautions, such as staying in the kitchen when preparing a meal because fires often start when items cooking are left unattended,” said Lorraine Carli, NFPA's vice president of communications. “As much as unexpected guests are sometimes a part of the holidays, you don't want the fire department arriving because your feast is going up in flames.”

NFPA offers these tips for safer cooking:

Stand by your pan