ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. – Roasting your Thanksgiving turkey might be more dangerous than you think. Officials say the risk of your home catching fire is highest on Thanksgiving Day.

Cooking is the cause of most holiday fires, and that’s why fire prevention starts in the kitchen.

Lt. Greg McLellan of the Pensacola Fire Department says these house fires are often preventable.

With the holiday season comes family, festive food, and an increased risk of your home catching fire. Cooking is the cause of more than 50% of all home fires.

This risk increases by almost 400% on Thanksgiving Day alone. One of the main causes of a house fire while on vacation is unattended cooking.

McLellan says there’s an easy way to avoid this.

“Every time you leave the room, there’s always that chance,” McLellan says. “So the best course of action is to stay in the kitchen with what you’re cooking.”

McLellan says deep-frying your turkey is another possible cause of a house fire.

If you plan on using a frozen turkey, McLellan says the one step where most people make a mistake is not letting it thaw completely. Risks to consider include the possibility of the deep fryer tipping over or pouring too much oil into the pot.

“Never leave it,” McLellan says. “Always keep an eye on it. Sit with it. Look after it practically.”

The risk of a holiday home fire goes beyond your Thanksgiving meal.

“Christmas, Christmas lights and the cold weather,” says McLellan. “So when cold weather comes, people use space heaters, sometimes they don’t use space heaters properly, and that leads to a house fire.”

The National Fire Protection Association reports that Christmas Day and Christmas Eve also see the most cooking fires each year, with the daily average nearly doubling.

McLellan says it’s all about doing everything you can to keep your home and food safe.

“Keep a fire extinguisher in your kitchen,” says McLellan. “And if it gets too bad, get out. Get everyone out. Also, make sure you have a working smoke alarm in your home.”

Whether you’re an experienced Thanksgiving cook or a first-time cook, McLellan says it’s best to have a plan in case something goes wrong.