Stove trouble rarely starts as a fire you can see. It starts as a pot that boiled dry, a pan that smoked longer than it should, a towel that drifted too close to a burner, or a burner that still felt warm when no one was cooking. Those are the things to read first, because they come before the fire and they are easy to miss in a kitchen that is still in use.

Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.

What the pans are telling you

Look at the bottom of the pots and pans in the sink and on the rack. A dark, crusted bottom on a pan that should be clean is a record of heat that went on too long. A kettle that is empty or a pot with a scorched ring is the same record. Check the handles too. A handle that is hot to the touch after a meal means a burner was still on or had just been turned off. Note what the smell in the kitchen is, and whether it lingers after the meal is over.

Also watch the things around the stove: a dish towel hanging near a burner, a paper bag or box on the counter beside the range, a cutting board pushed against the back of the stovetop. Any of these can catch if a burner is left on, and they are the first things that go.

What the knobs and the alarms are telling you

Check the knobs. Are they in the off position when nothing is cooking? Do they face the front, or do they sit where an elbow or a dish can turn them? A knob that has been bumped or left on the low setting can keep a burner going for hours. Ask whether the range has a feature that shuts off the burners after a set time, and check the owner's manual or the manufacturer's website for how to set it. Not every range has one, so confirm before you assume.

Test the smoke alarm in the kitchen and the hallway outside it. If it goes off while he is cooking, that's a signal that the kitchen is producing more smoke than it should, and it needs a look, not just a button press to silence it.

How to bring it up without taking the kitchen

Dad cooks, or has cooked, and his kitchen is his. Frame the conversation around the pan and the knob, not around whether he can cook. Ask him to show you how he sets the burner when he starts a pot. Offer to move the towels and paper to a drawer. If he would rather not change how he cooks, ask whether a timer on a kitchen timer or a phone can be set for each meal, so the burner has a reminder that doesn't depend on memory.

Ask your local fire department whether it offers a home fire safety visit. Many departments will walk through a home at no cost and point out the things a family is too close to see, and the visit can be framed as a general check rather than a judgment on Dad.

Next move

Tonight, look at the stovetop. Move any towel, paper, or box at least away from the burners, check that every knob is in the off position, and check the bottom of the pans for scorching. Then pick one person to do that same check every evening until you agree on a routine. The Local Help in St. Louis page lists where to ask about a fire safety visit.