As Thanksgiving Day approaches and people head to their kitchens to whip up the biggest meal of the year, area fire professionals are encouraging Georgians to make sure they’re cooking in a safe environment and limiting the risk of residential fires this Thanksgiving.
Habersham County Emergency Services Director Chad Black says he’s responded to many Thanksgiving Day fires, all of which were related to cooking. He says two Thanksgiving Day fires he’s responded to ended with homes being “almost completely destroyed.”
Black says to make sure you prepare ahead of time for cooking— have a working fire extinguisher, smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector at home. He says to also be sure your oven and stove are clean before cooking; remove grease and food buildup from surfaces that will get hot to reduce the risk of a kitchen fire.
While cooking, Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King tells Georgians to wear clothes with tight-fitting sleeves to avoid clothing fires and keep towels and rags away from cooking areas.
Black says you should never leave anything cooking unattended. Even if something is in a smoker, or in the oven on low heat, you should not leave home and it should be checked on regularly. If you have something cooking on the stovetop, don’t leave the kitchen, and make sure handles on pots and pans are turned inward to prevent accidents and keep children from grabbing them.
One of the most dangerous Thanksgiving practices involves deep-frying turkey. King and Black both warn Georgians to follow deep-frying instructions closely, and to never deep-fry a frozen turkey.
“Keep [deep-frying] at a minimum of 10 feet away from the house and on flat ground, not the deck or front/back porch,” Black says. “Never leave [the turkey] unattended, and wear eye protection for oil splatter. Completely thaw the turkey and don’t overfill fryer oil, [and] follow manufacturers guidelines to a ‘T!'”
Fire safety during the holidays doesn’t end in the kitchen, though. Black says that if you’re lighting candles at home, make sure there’s a 1-foot diameter around the candle free of other flammable items.
“I am immensely thankful for our firefighters and first responders,” Commissioner King says in a Thanksgiving safety press release. “However, we’d prefer if Georgians didn’t have to call on these emergency officials this Thanksgiving, so please follow these simple fire safety tips as you prepare your family feast.”
