In an effort to help everyone have an enjoyable holiday, a national organization and local fire fighters are sharing Thanksgiving safety tips.
Thanksgiving is the peak day for cooking fires which are nearly three times more likely than a typical day but most are preventable.
The NFPA urges those planning to prepare food to never leave the stove unattended while cooking. Always cook with a lid beside the pan. Also make sure to remove all items that could burn from near the stove as well as keep children and pets a safe distance away.
If you are planning on frying a turkey Lieutenant Timothy Iman from the Butler Township fire department has some tips to prevent danger.
“With the gas powered ones, make sure they are far away from any structure. When lowering them, put them in nice and slow. Make sure they are dried off, because some frozen turkeys are still wet,” Iman said. “A lot of the flash fires are because the turkeys are still wet.”
The NFPA strongly discourages the use of turkey fryers that use cooking oil which can cause intense burns. Fryers that do not use oil are safer or already fried turkeys are available at many grocery stores.
As Thanksgiving approaches, the Chicago Fire Department is urging caution in the kitchen, especially when it comes to frying that holiday turkey. pic.twitter.com/USh84ZzUEB
— Brad Porcellato (@BradPorcellato) November 15, 2023
