Thanksgiving is a big day for home cooking fires. There are more than three times as many home cooking fires on Thanksgiving day than any other day of the year.
Captain Frank McKenzie with Huntsville Fire & Rescue said, “The biggest thing that you can do to be safe in this holiday season is make sure that you stay in the kitchen when you’re cooking. You’re going to have family probably coming in. Just make sure you keep an eye on it.”
Firefighters say to keep things that can catch fire like oven mitts, wooden utensils, and food wrappers at least three feet away from the cooking area.
If you’re cooking several dishes, use timers to keep track of cooking times.
Cook with a lid beside your pan. If you have a fire, you can put the lid over the pan and turn off the burner to put out the fire.
If you’re planning on using a turkey fryer, don’t use too much oil and make sure the turkey is thawed properly.
“If you place a frozen turkey in boiling oil, it’s going to pretty much explode is what it’ll do. It might not just blow completely up, but it’ll boil over and catch fire, and it’s going to spread,” said McKenzie.
Make sure your smoke alarm works, and have a working fire extinguisher nearby. Firefighters say to keep it in an area away from the stove.
“If you’ve got a fire on your stove, you can get to your fire extinguisher if it’s next to it,” said McKenzie.
Latest headlines: