 While cooking a Thanksgiving feast in the kitchen can be fun, it can also be considered dangerous. The National Fire Protection Association reports nearly four times as many home cooking fires on Thanksgiving Day than any other given day during the year. The Brainerd Fire Department has an increase of calls this time of year for kitchen fires, smoke alarms, and burns, but the Brainerd Fire Chief has some tips to help you keep safe during this holiday cooking season. Always make sure you're using a cooking timer if you're gonna for some reason step away and have something in the oven. It's just a great one reminder to make sure that you remember you have something in the in the oven and then also just make sure you're not leaving anything unattended on the stove. If you happen to step away make sure you turn the heat source off. The holidays are also considered a good time to make sure all smoke detectors are working properly. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.