"I think these things tend to be very locally based. I think we need to stay calm and not worry about connections that may not exist," she told BBC Radio 4's PM programme.
Lancashire Police said "large numbers" of officers would remain on the streets during Monday night.
Chief Superintendent John Knowles made an urgent plea for residents to remain in their houses rather than causing difficulties for the police by gathering in the streets.
Home Office minister John Denham said he was sure the Commons would "express disgust at the criminal violence" and the mindless acts of provocation.
He said the government was taking advice on whether there is any link between the recent racial violence in Oldham, Leeds and Burnley.
Underlying causes
Community leaders and representatives of Burnley council, Lancashire County Council, and Lancashire Police met at the town hall on Monday.
They agreed to set up a task force to examine the events of the last 72 hours and the underlying causes.
Home Office Minister Angela Eagle visited Oldham, the scene last month of disturbances involving Asian and white youths, and said it was "unhelpful" to try to link events in the two towns.
"I think these things tend to be very locally based. I think we need to stay calm and not worry about connections that may not exist," she told BBC Radio 4's PM programme.
However she acknowledged that there were concerns about the unexpectedly strong showing by the far-right British National Party in Burnley at the general election.
"It certainly ought to worry every peace-loving democrat and clearly it is in nobody's interests for the politics of race hatred to flourish and we have got to do our best to drive them back to the margins of British politics where they belong," she said.
Arrests
A series of unrelated incidents involving whites and Asians are thought to have sparked the trouble.
Mr Denham told the Commons two youths from the area had been stabbed outside a nightclub during a fight between two groups of Asians, one from Burnley and one from West Yorkshire, early on Saturday.
Police were then called to a quarrel between Asians and whites following complaints that the white group had been holding a noisy party.
In the disturbance that followed, white youths allegedly damaged nine vehicles belonging to Asian and white families.
Fractured cheekbone
At the same time, an off-duty Asian taxi driver suffered a fractured cheekbone after being attacked by a group of white men.
During the evening police were called to talk to young Asian men gathering in the Stoneyholme area of Burnley.
But missiles were soon thrown at them and passing vehicles as minor altercations took place between Asian and white youths.
The violence reached its climax on Sunday night with more than 200 youths attacking shops, homes and vehicles. Police arrested 11 people, eight of them white.
Riot police managed to prevent direct confrontation between gangs of Asian and white youths but a Lancashire Police spokesman conceded they were surprised at the scale of Sunday night's violence.
Racial disturbances
Responding for the Conservatives, David Lidington MP, said: "Nobody should have to feel afraid of walking through any street or district in their own home town."
Burnley is about 20 miles from Oldham, scene of serious racial disturbances last month.
The deputy mayor of Burnley, Rafique Malik, said the clashes could not be compared with the recent racial violence in Oldham.
A further three men were arrested on Saturday in connection with the alleged assault on the off-duty taxi driver, but were questioned and released on police bail pending further inquiries.