A lot of people enjoy fireworks on the Fourth of July, but I had some fireworks of my own on Thursday that I did not enjoy at all.

I was making my way through the day and popped something in the microwave to warm up. I stepped across the kitchen and around the corner when I realized that the microwave didn’t sound right.

When I turned back to look, I was horrified to see that the appliance contained a roaring ball of flames.

I made it across the kitchen in the blink of an eye and pushed the “STOP” button. Thankfully, I had the presence of mid to leave the door closed. Within seconds, the flames had consumed all of the air inside the microwave and fizzled out. After a few minutes, I dared to open the door and inspect the over to find out what had happened. It turned out that an internal part of the appliance itself had burst into flames. Nothing else was damaged.

With the help of a friend who lives nearby, I managed to remove the microwave from its overhead shelf, get it unplugged and remove it from the house. With open windows and a couple of fans, I was soon able to clear out the odor left behind by the fire.

All of that got me thinking about fire safety and the potential hazards of cooking. My husband, Mike, and I recently realized that we had a fire extinguisher that had expired. We replaced it, but that is not the only thing to consider in the kitchen.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration: “Cooking is, by far, the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries.

“In 2021, fire departments in the United States responded to an estimated 170,000 home cooking fires. These fires caused an estimated 135 deaths, 3,000 injuries and over $494 million in property loss.”

To help prevent cooking fires, the administration recommends the following:

∫ Never leave cooking food unattended.

∫ Make sure you are cooking at the right temperature. If grease starts to boil, turn the burner off.

∫ Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove. That way they can’t be bumped and knocked off.

∫ Keep a pan lid or baking sheet nearby. These can be used to cover a pan if it catches fire and put the fire out.

∫ Keep cooking equipment clean and free of crumbs and grease, which could ignite.

These tips and a wide variety of information about fire safety is available at https://www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/home-fires/prevent-fires/cooking/.