FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - While some have already started their Thanksgiving preparations, the big cooking event kicks off on Thursday. Fresno Fire gave us kitchen safety tips to ensure we stick to cooking the turkey and not the house.  On Thanksgiving Day alone, there will be more than 1,600 cooking fires in the United States. However, Fresno Fire said almost every one of those is preventable. The department posted on social media, an example of how not to deep fry your turkey. “They are delicious, I love doing it myself, but please be extremely careful when you're doing that,” said Fresno Fire Public Information Officer Josh Sellers. Sellers said the bird needs to be fully thawed before you deep fry it, and you should never do this inside your home. Instead, choose a flat surface like dirt or concrete. “Mistakes that we see, food on the stove that is unattended, you know, it's easy to get distracted and walk away and forget that your burner is still on,” Sellers added.  Keep a lid nearby to cover and extinguish flames if your food catches fire. Avoid taking the pan to the sink and running water over it, especially if it is a grease fire “That can actually make the fire worse and splash and cause injuries,” Sellers explained. And before using the oven, make sure it’s free of any pans, leftover food, or grease “If there is a fire inside the oven, people actually opening the oven door and leaving it open, allowing that fire to now escape from the oven,” Sellers stated. He said to keep the door shut, turn the oven off, and call 9-1-1. “It's always encouraged to have a fire extinguisher in your kitchen, most importantly, know how to use it and keep it in a location that's accessible,” Sellers informed. And if you did not check your smoke detectors during daylight saving time, you will want to do that before Turkey Day. “We see an increase in home fires around the holidays, whether that be from cooking, from decoration accidents or trying to stay warm, and so something that the Red Cross does is we have disaster action team volunteers who are there within hours of a fire, displacing a family to provide that comfort and care that is so needed when people are experiencing maybe the worst day of their life,” said Communications Director for The American Red Cross Taylor Poisall. The American Red Cross has smoke alarms and installation services, you will just need to set up an appointment. “If you visit our website endhomefires.org or if you give us a call, they can arrange to come out and install them for free year-round.” And remember, even if you’re able to put the fire out, it’s best to still call the fire department. They can check if any embers have reached the attic or are hiding behind walls.