Thanksgiving Turkeys can Pose Fire Hazard

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Thanksgiving is often the biggest, most complex home cooked meal of the year, which means there are a lot of mistakes. It can also be a busy day for firefighters.   The National Fire Protection Association says Thanksgiving is the leading day for home cooking fires. 

In 2010, cooking played a role in 156 thousand house fires, resulting in 420 deaths.  Richmond Assistant Fire Chief Wayne Long says turkey fryers, when used by inexperienced cooks, can create a fire hazard.

“A lot of people will over fill their fryer and when you place the turkey inside of it, the oil runs over and then it hits the fire and flame and catches on fire,” said Long.

Long says these turkey fryers should always be used outside, but not on a wooden deck.  He says other house fires occur when the cooks stray too far from the stove.  Chief Long says he’s also noticed an increase in the number of fire runs around Thanksgiving.