(NAPSA)—A growing number of Americans are putting kitchen safety on the front burner. The reason? Cooking is the leading cause of home fires and fire injuries, with stove fires dominating this problem. The safety experts at The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. offer these tips on stove and oven safety: Keep an eye onall food being heated. Wear short or tight-fitting sleeves when cooking and avoid reaching over burners or hot surfaces. Whenusingan electric stove, use a burner that is the right size for the pan. Using a burnerthatis too large can cause the pan and its contents to heat too quickly, leading to boil-overs, scorching and burning. When usinga gas stove, keep the flame entirely under the pan. A flame that surrounds the pan can easily ignite a loose-fitting sleeve. Keep potholders, wood utensils and other combustible items away from hot burners or pilot lights. omer tthe ca os Cooking is the leading cause of home fires andfire injuries, with stove fires dominating this problem. Create a kid-free zone of three feet around the stove, and supervise older children when they cook. Keep the stovetop, oven and range hood free of grease and spills that can catchfire. A free booklet called Fire Sense: A Smart Way to Prevent, Detect and Escape Home Fires is available by writing to: The Hartford, Fire Sense, 200 Executive Blvd., Southington, CT 06489 or by visiting www.thehartford.com/firesense.
