Lakeland Firefighters Offer Safety Tips for Thanksgiving Cooking

LAKELAND, FL - The Lakeland Fire Department is offering some safety tips while cooking your Thanksgiving meal. Cooking fires are the leading cause of fires in Lakeland and the nation, firefighters said. In 2016, more than 55 percent of structure fires in Lakeland were caused by cooking fires.

Consider these tips from the fire department for a fire-free holiday.

• Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking.
• Make your cooking area safe. Move things that can burn away from the stove.
• Turn pot handles inward or towards the back of the stove top so they can't be bumped.
• Watch what you're cooking. Use a timer when roasting a turkey or baking.
• Be prepared. Keep a large lid or baking sheet handy in case you need to smother a grease fire.
• Stay awake and alert while you're cooking. If you see smoke or the grease starts to boil in your pan, turn the burner off.
• Prevent burns. Wear short sleeves when you cook, or roll them up. Don't lean over the burner and be sure to use potholders and oven mitts to handle hot cookware.

The Lakeland Fire Department also recognizes that fried turkeys are a local favorite, but strongly encourage you to avoid deep frying a turkey and opt for a traditional baked turkey instead. Frying a turkey creates a high risk of fire and injury. However, if you do choose to fry your turkey, keep these facts in mind:

• Turkey fryers can easily tip over, spilling hot cooking oil over a large area.
• An overfilled cooking pot will cause cooking oil to spill when the turkey is put in, and a partially frozen turkey will cause cooking oil to splatter when put in the pot.
• Even a small amount of cooking oil spilling on a hot burner can cause a large fire.
• Without thermostat controls, deep fryers can overheat oil to the point of starting a fire.
• The sides of the cooking pot, lid and pot handles can get dangerously hot.

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