See Fried Turkeys, Tree Fires & More At Live Holiday Fire Safety Demonstrations

FREEHOLD, NJ — Ready for the holidays?

To make sure you’re celebrating them safely, the NJ Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board, NJ Fire Safety Commission and more will host their annual live holiday fire safety demonstrations at the Monmouth Fire Academy on Nov. 25.

The free event is open to the public and will demonstrate how fast a dry Christmas tree fire can spread, how effectively fire sprinklers can control flames and how dangerous frying a frozen turkey in oil can be to both people and property.

The annual demonstration will feature a trailer with two rooms, each containing a dry Christmas tree, holiday decorations and smoke alarms. In one room, a fire sprinkler system will be present, while in the other, the sprinkler system will not be.

Demonstrators will light a fire in the room with sprinklers to show how quickly they stop a fire from spreading, and will then light a fire in the room without sprinklers to show how fast Christmas tree fires can travel.

To conclude the demonstration, firefighters will show how dangerous it can be to drop a frozen turkey in hot oil, as doing so can cause a fiery explosion.

"Fire safety knowledge is vital to have during the holiday season," event officials said. "Fires can start from dry Christmas trees, candles, damaged electrical decorations and while cooking. Every year, fires break out during the holidays."

Now more than ever, officials are urging the public to use their fire safety knowledge throughout the holiday season.

As wildfires occur throughout the state and drought warnings go into effect, officials are hoping the event will help prevent fires that typically break out during the holiday season.

From 2016 to 2020, officials said an average of 160 house fires were started each year by Christmas trees, resulting in two deaths, 11 injuries and $12 million in property damage. In addition, officials said electrical issues account for 34% of tree-related fires and 20% of fires resulted from decorations being too close to heat sources.

“Education and prevention is key to preventing fires and keeping families safe,” officials said.

The event is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. on Nov. 25.

The event schedule is as follows:

• Introductions (11-11:05 a.m.)
• Burn demonstration with fire sprinklers (11:05-11:10 a.m.)
• Burn demonstration without fire sprinklers (11:10-11:15 a.m.)
• Drop a frozen turkey into hot oil demonstration (11:20 a.m.)

David Kurasz (the executive director of the NJ Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board), John Wisniewski (member and former chair of the NJ Fire Safety Commission), and Richard Mikutsky (the director and state fire marshal of the NJ Division of Fire Safety) will speak at the event.

The event is hosted by the NJ Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board, Sprinkler Fitters Local 696, the NJ Fire Safety Commission and the NJ Division of Fire Safety.

The Monmouth Fire Academy is located at 1027 NJ-33, Freehold.