Firefighter: Pay Attention When Frying Turkeys

If you plan to cook this year’s turkey in a deep fryer, take some simple precautions to keep your family safe.

Cookeville Fire Department Battalion Chief James Clouse said the biggest dangers are putting too much oil in the pot, or frying the turkey before it is fully thawed and dry. Clouse said doing either of these can cause the oil to boil over and start a very dangerous fire.

“One of the big things is location,” Clouse said. “Making sure that it’s at least ten feet from your home or any building. Making sure that if it’s going to be a rainy, cloudy, rough day you might want to have it somewhere close that it can be shut off and got out of the weather, but making sure it’s a sturdy surface.”

Clouse said people need to monitor the temperature of the oil and stay nearby the fryer at all times. Clouse said it is also vital to have protective mitts and to keep children and pets away from the fryer during the process.

“It’s something to really pay attention to,” Clouse said. “Even though you may have done it a hundred times, just be careful. We like to see everybody have a good time and enjoy Thanksgiving and not spend it seeing us or ending up with injuries.”

Clouse said Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires nationwide. Clouse said the holiday usually sees three times as many residential cooking fires than the daily average.

“Just the fact that everybody’s home cooking,” Clouse said. “And then not everybody fries turkeys every day kind of like we do some of the other stuff. So I think a lot of people try to do something that they’re not maybe comfortable with and they don’t know the precautions and the safety measures that they need to take.”

Clouse said the National Fire Protection Agency reports an average of five deaths, sixty injuries, and over $15 million in property damage nationwide from grease and cooking fires on Thanksgiving. Clouse said everyone should check their smoke detectors before the holiday for an additional level of fire safety.