It seems like simple advice: If you’re cooking, stay in or near the kitchen and stay focused on the task at hand.

But time and time again, people across the country prove they can’t do it. They wander out of the kitchen, start watching TV, maybe get caught up talking to a roommate or texting with a friend, and suddenly their homes are filling with smoke.

According to a report the National Fire Protection Association released this month, cooking has been the leading cause of residential structure fires and related injuries for well over a decade.

From 2010 to 2014, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 166,100 cooking equipment-related fires per year — fires that killed about 480 people and caused about $1.1 billion in direct property damage annually. That's compared with about 368,000 overall home fires yearly over the same period, according to the association's earlier reporting.

But on Thanksgiving, when holiday company, conversations about politics, football games and occasionally alcohol are add to the mix, the phenomenon is exacerbated.

In 2014, with 1,730 reported fires, Thanksgiving had more than three-and-a-half times as many cooking fires as the average day.

“Around this time of year, there are a lot of distractions, especially with family and other company over,” said Vernon Skau, fire marshal of the New London Fire Department. “But it’s important to remain vigilant and remember that you’re working in the kitchen.”

He said the city doesn't necessarily see a noticeable uptick in kitchen fires on Thanksgiving Day, but it's had at least one Thanksgiving stove fire in three of the last five years.

In general, cooking fires easily are the leading type of fire in New London, Skau said.

Of the city’s approximately 1,400 fires per year, he said, 40 percent to 60 percent typically are attributable to cooking. Of those, a vast majority happen because the cook left the food unattended.

Countrywide, the National Fire Protection Association found that unattended cooking equipment was to blame for one-third of cooking fires from 2010 through 2014.

It also found that more than 60 percent of home cooking incidents involved ranges or cooktops; that more than half of nonfatal cooking fire injuries occurred when residents tried to fight the fire themselves; that possible alcohol or drug impairment contributed to ignition in 16 percent of fatal cooking fires, and that two-thirds of cooking fires began with the ignition of food or other cooking materials — especially fats and cooking oil.

“If people would pay attention to what they’re doing and stay in the kitchen when they’re cooking, the No. 1 cause for cooking fires could be eliminated,” Skau said. “But that’s easier said than done.”

He suggested a tip often given to the elderly — carry a spoon or some kind of reminder of the kitchen with you if you need to leave the kitchen — could prove useful for others, too.

According to the report, the country is struggling to make progress in reducing cooking fire deaths. When comparing the years 2010 through 2014 with 1980 through 1984, overall home fire deaths have decreased by almost 48 percent, but cooking fire deaths have decreased just 4 percent.

The report also shows that cooking fires have been on the rise since 2000, although it notes that could be because the reporting of such fires has improved.

In Norwich, city fire Chief Kenneth Scandariato, too, said cooking fires are the norm.

He said firefighters typically use carbon dioxide fire extinguishers to put such fires out before they spread, but they’re always prepared should the heat from a stove fire transfer to nearby cabinets.

Scandariato said the city department usually sees a slight but not significant increase in cooking fires on Thanksgiving.

“We catch oven fires a lot over the course of the year,” he said. “Generally, it’s because the equipment was not maintained correctly.”

He advised residents to clean or even service their stoves if necessary in order to get rid of grease and other residue before cooking for extended periods of time.

He said children should be kept out of the kitchen, too, so there are fewer opportunities for mishaps.

“The best thing I can say is, plan accordingly,” Scandariato said.

l.boyle@theday.com

The National Fire Protection Association has offered the following tips for those who are cooking on Thanksgiving:

Stay in the kitchen when cooking, especially when frying and sautéing with oil.

Stay alert and focused, and avoid cooking when drinking alcohol or if you’re sleepy.

Use a timer to keep track of cooking times, especially when cooking a meal that takes a long time. Check the stove or oven frequently, and consider putting timers in different rooms so you can hear them over music and/or party chatter.

Keep things that can catch fire like oven mitts, wooden utensils, food wrappers and towels away from the cooking area.