CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) - With Thanksgiving less than two days away, the State Department of Fire Services is urging caution when cooking in the kitchen. According to officials, cooking fires are the leading cause of home fires and injuries. The State Fire Marshall's office recommends some tips to help keep you and your family safe. Keep things clean by cleaning up grease spills, and keep flammable materials away from the stovetop. Stand by your pan, and stay in the kitchen when boiling, broiling, or frying food. Also, Always set a timer when baking or roasting food. In the event of a fire, cover the pan with a lid to smother the flames. Never try to move a burning pan or douse it with water. For a fire in the oven or microwave, leave the door closed, turn off the appliance, and call the fire department. Local News Headlines Black Friday nears, 131M shoppers expected nationwide Tips to prevent Thanksgiving cooking fires Community reacts to recent string of violent incidents in Chicopee Family creates GoFundMe for Hartford mother and infant killed in shooting WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.