Ladder season starts about now. The lights go up, the gutters get one last look, and the tall ladder comes out of the garage.
This week, one of the best-known ladder brands in the country recalled millions of them. Checking yours takes about a minute.
Below: the ladder recall, why Thanksgiving is the worst day of the year for kitchen fires, the timer we'd wear, Apple's new home screen and a heating oil update, two battery packs to check, and two more recalls.
Reply and tell us: who climbs the ladder for the lights at your house? We read every one.
3.66 Million Little Giant Ladders Recalled
Image: The Home Wire
If you own a Little Giant ladder, check it before you climb it again. On Nov. 5, Little Giant recalled about 3.66 million ladders with Rapid Locks, because a ladder can suddenly retract if a lock isn't fully engaged.
The company has 25 reports of ladders retracting, with 19 injuries, per the CPSC. Three were head injuries.
These are the adjustable, telescoping kind, sold at Lowe's, Costco, Amazon and elsewhere from December 2015 through October 2026, for about $100 to $1,000.
The recall covers the Adjustable Fortress 2.0, Conquest 2.0, Dark Horse 2.0, Epic, King Kombo XT, Leveler, MegaLite, MegaLite+, Multi, Quantum and Vector. The brand and model name are printed on the side of the ladder, and a QR code on the ladder links to the recall details.
Here's the check:
Look for an orange "QC" sticker on the rail above one of the Rapid Locks. If it's there, your ladder isn't part of the recall.
No sticker? Stop using the ladder.
Get the free repair kit from Little Giant or at 866-201-9069. It's warning labels plus instructions.
Put the labels on as the instructions show.
Lubricate the locks.
Fully engage every Rapid Lock before each use.
Still slipping? Contact Little Giant again. If a lock still fails after its evaluation, you can choose a replacement or a refund.
Renters, if the ladder came with the place, tell your landlord. And if you borrowed one for the lights, check it before you hand it back.
Thanksgiving Brings 3 Times the Kitchen Fires
Image: The Home Wire
Thanksgiving is the peak day of the year for home cooking fires, and it isn't close.
From 2017 to 2021, U.S. fire departments handled an average of 1,470 home cooking fires on Thanksgiving, per the NFPA. An average day had 430. That's more than three times as many.
The day before Thanksgiving made the top five too, with 600.
The cause is mostly the same every year. The NFPA found unattended cooking was the leading factor in cooking fires and in the injuries and deaths they caused.
That fits the day. The cook is juggling four dishes, the doorbell keeps ringing, and someone wants help finding the gravy boat.
The U.S. Fire Administration puts the fix in five words: stand by your pan.
Frying, searing or sautéing? Stay in the kitchen until the burner's off.
Have to step out? Turn the burner off first, per the USFA.
Long roast in the oven? Set a timer that goes where you go, so the turkey can't slip your mind.
Hand off the stovetop when you're pulled away. A second cook at the pan beats a pan nobody's watching.
Scroll down for a timer you can wear.
Worth a Look
A Kitchen Timer You Wear Around Your Neck
If you're the cook who wanders off mid-recipe, the ThermoWorks TimeStick is the one we'd point you to, at $29.00 at time of writing.
It hangs on a lanyard or sticks to the fridge with a magnet, so the timer leaves the kitchen when you do. You punch the time straight in on a number pad, one-handed, and it counts down from as long as 99 hours.
The keypad is splash-proof, rated IP65, which helps when your hands are covered in stuffing. It runs on one coin battery rated for about 10,000 hours. Here's the TimeStick at ThermoWorks.
We haven't timed a turkey with this one ourselves. The specs and price come from ThermoWorks' own store.
That said, it runs one countdown at a time, and its alarm is rated 70 decibels at about a foot. In a loud room, keep it on you, not across the house.
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Apple's New Home Screen, and Heating Oil Dips
Two more things worth knowing this week.
📱 Apple HomeView goes on sale Friday. It's a $299 home display with a 7-inch screen that runs Apple Home and Matter devices, per Apple. It can recognize up to six people in the house and show each one their own screen.
One feature stands out. It listens for your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and sends an alert when one goes off. It works alongside your alarms. It doesn't replace them.
Recognizing people, pets and packages on your cameras needs an iCloud+ plan, though, and the wall mounts don't arrive until early 2027.
Apple also says a set of compatible cameras, thermostats and a smart lock from partners including LG and Schneider Electric starts arriving in December, with more in early 2027.
🛢️ Heating oil dipped, barely. The U.S. average was $6.14 a gallon in the week of Nov. 2, down 9 cents from the week before, per the EIA. That's still about $2.51 more than a year ago.
Propane went the other way, up 9 cents to $2.82 a gallon. The EIA's next weekly update lands Wednesday.
Two Battery Packs to Check Before Holiday Travel
Image: CPSC
🔋 HAIARA W5 PRO power banks: stop using them. The CPSC warned about roughly 210,000 of these black 20W chargers, sold on Amazon and Newegg from January 2025 to October 2026. There are 600 reports of fires, explosions or overheating, and 3 burns.
Only units with no date code on the side are affected. Look for "Model: W5 PRO" on the side, and check for an eight-digit date. No date means it's one of them.
There's no refund across the board. One seller, Mitrytech, agreed to a recall, and Woot refused, per the CPSC. Don't put it in the trash or a store's battery bin. Call your local household hazardous waste center first.
🔊 Bose S1 Pro battery packs: free replacement. Bose recalled about 635,000 packs for its S1 Pro and S1 Pro+ portable speakers, sold from December 2017 to July 2026. They can overheat. There are 7 reports of melting, smoke or fire, and no injuries.
Check the 17-digit serial number on the bottom of the pack. Recalled ones start with 083723, 078352, 084105, 078591, 078592, 084106 or 086409. Pull the pack, register it with Bose for a free one, and run the speaker plugged in until it arrives.
Two More Recalls: An Air Fryer Oven and a Lighter
Image: CPSC
🍗 Gourmia air fryer ovens from Target. Gourmia recalled about 176,000 stainless steel 9-slice digital air fryer ovens, model GTF7530, per the CPSC. They were sold only at Target, from October 2021 through June 2026, for about $150.
The doors can swing shut when bumped while you're pulling food out. There are 57 reports and 40 burns to hands and wrists.
Check the label on the back for the model number and a date code from 3021 to 0126. If yours matches, stop using it and get a free doorstop repair kit from Gourmia or at 888-834-0092. Counter ovens pick up overflow duty on Thanksgiving, so do this one before the 26th.
🔥 Fire Blaze lighters. The CPSC warned that these long multipurpose lighters, sold on Amazon for about $12, have no child-resistant lock, which federal rules require.
They come in gray or gold with a wood-pattern handle, or black and gray with a carbon-fiber look, with no model number on them. The seller hasn't responded. Stop using them and toss them per your local rules before candle season gets going.
One quick tap
What kind of home do you live in?
That's Monday: the ladder recall, Thanksgiving's kitchen fires, a timer you wear, Apple's new home screen, two battery packs and two more recalls.
If you only do one thing this week, go look at the ladder in the garage.
Forward this to whoever in your house climbs the ladder.
See you tomorrow.
The Home Wire
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