Fire Prevention Week – Kitchen Fires!

Fire Prevention Week!

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 began on October 8th into October 9th. Most of its damage occurred on October 9th and it killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres.

Originally started as Fire Prevention Day in May, 1919, to commemorate the anniversary of this event and as a way to keep the public informed about the importance of fire prevention, it was expanded to Fire Prevention Week in 1922. In 1925, President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the first National Fire Prevention Week on October 4–10 and it has been held during the week (from Sunday to Saturday) in which October 9 falls ever since.

This year’s target is kitchen fire safety. Cooking is involved in an estimated 150,000+ home structure fires annually. These fires cause over 400 deaths, 5,000 injuries and nearly $1 billion in direct property damage. Take this week to educate your family about fire safety in the kitchen!

More information is available on the “Fire Safety” section of our website: www.OnlyMinutesAway.com