Fairfield firefighters are reminding the public that cooking fires are three times more likely on Thanksgiving than on any other day of the year.

Most Thanksgiving day fires occur between 12 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. which are aligned with peak cooking hours.

Thanksgiving is also one of the busiest travel times of the year with more than 50 million people traveling away from home.  

The Fairfield Fire Department says taking extra moments of precaution can result in a safer holiday.

They say when it comes to preparing Thanksgiving dinner, fires can be easily avoided by staying alert and in the kitchen while cooking.

The department warns that many home cooking fires are caused by unattended equipment, abandoned material, a heat source left too close to flammable materials, product misuse and cooking equipment that is not properly turned off.

They say turkey fryers, which use a large amount of cooking oil at high temperatures also pose a significant danger and can lead to devastating burns, other injuries and the destruction of property.