While your holiday plans may be different this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Georgia Red Cross wants to make sure you protect yourself from cooking fires if you still plan on preparing food. According to the latest report on home cooking fires released by the National Fire Protection Association, the holiday season is the peak for home cooking fires, which increase by 250% on Thanksgiving and 59% on Christmas Day in comparison to the daily average. The Georgia Red Cross said it responded to nearly 2,200 home and apartment fires and has helped more than 9,500 people recover from those disasters in the months of November and December over the last four years. To help keep you and your loved ones safe during the holiday season, the Georgia Red Cross is encouraging people across the state to following these five safety tips to prevent cooking fires:Keep an eye on what you fry. In addition, the Georgia Red Cross reminds you to test your smoke alarms monthly and practice your home fire escape plan until everyone can get out in less than two minutes.