VALDOSTA – Distracted cooking can be akin to distracted driving, according to Valdosta Fire Chief Brian Boutwell.

Valdosta recently suffered a four-day stretch that included two kitchen fires, and two of those were due to unattended cooking and occurred on Thursday evening, March 19, on West Cranford Avenue and Saturday evening, March 21, at 805 Lausanne Drive.

As restaurants close and more people are cooking at home, Boutwell spoke with The Valdosta Daily Times about fire safety practices residents should use while cooking. 

Boutwell said stovetop fires typically are the most common cause of kitchen fires, and the most productive way to prevent a future fire is to not leaving items on a stove unattended. 

“(People) tend to get busy, so we set (pans) on the stove. We get it started to do something and leave it unattended,” Boutwell said. 

Grease remains the greatest adversary of the home cook as it can spread easily, according to the fire chief.

The two cooking fires began the same day that the city government recommended local restaurants close their dine-in services and offer curbside takeaway to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Such a decision limits dining options and causes more residents to cook at home, but Boutwell did not see this as a cause-and-effect situation. 

If a fire does get out of hand, he recommends residents call 911 immediately, but if the flames are small enough, he encourages people put a lid on top of the fire to smother it.

“I don’t encourage people to put their own fires out,” Boutwell said. “It is always a good idea to have a small fire extinguisher located in your kitchen for fire suppression.”

Verifying homes have working smoke alarms can help alert the residents, surrounding area and the fire department in case of fire, he said.

More than anything, Boutwell urges residents to pay close attention while cooking.

“As long as we do that and don’t leave it unattended, then we shouldn’t see any increase in kitchen fires,“ he said.