AUBURN, Mass. - As families get ready to host Thanksgiving dinners this week, fire departments across the state are urging people to make safety a priority while in the kitchen. 

According to the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services, more than 700 fires have been reported on Thanksgiving between 2018 and 2022, with 70% of them stemming from unsafe cooking practices.  

To stay safe, the Auburn Fire Department said adults should be the only ones working in the kitchen and food should never be left unattended. Firefighter and paramedic Tess DiDonato demonstrated what to do if something does go wrong. 

"Basically, this lid can act as a shield," DiDonato said, holding the lid to a cooking pot. "We like to say 'put a lid on it.' If you're approaching and you notice flames are actually coming from one of your pans, you can approach it like a shield. You don't want to throw it on, you want to slide it on.

"What happens there is you take away the oxygen from the pan and eventually it will go out. However, if you get anxious and peak under there and see flames, you just want to leave it."

DiDonato also said paper towels and decorative hand towels can be very dangerous and should be kept far way from the oven and stove.