Thanksgiving Is Number 1 Day For Cooking Fires: Safety Tips

HUNTERSVILLE, NC — On Thanksgiving, it's much better to welcome family and friends into your home than firefighters. Huntersville Fire Department may like a plate, but it's better if you just swing by and give it to them that way... they don't want to have to tend to a fire in your kitchen. With that in mind, HFD issued some helpful tips to make sure you stay safe during the holidays.

Thanksgiving is the number one day all year for cooking fires, so don't take safety lightly. With people in and out, a lot to do and distractions all around, it can be easy to lose track of what you're doing and make a mistake. Cooking, in fact, causes half of all fires on Turkey Day.

• Check smoke alarms, make sure they work
• Keep kids at least three feet away from the cooking
• If you have a pan fire, put a lid on it and slide it away from the burner. Make sure you have lids that fit that are ready to be placed on any fires. If you have an oven fire, turn it off and keep it closed.
• Keep oven utensils, towels and other flammable items away from heat sources.

If you're frying a turkey:

• Don't use a water hose to douse an oil fire
• Have a dry powder extinguisher on hand
• Turkeys must be thawed before cooking
• Oil is extremely flammable and will ignite if it's too close to a heat source
• Keep fryers off decks and out of garages
• Turkey fryers are not UL certified, which means they can cause some serious issues.

Be safe this holiday!

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