City of Roswell recently issued the following announcement.
Nothing says Thanksgiving like a lot of food and a fried turkey. But before you start the cooking, be sure you take the proper safety precautions. Between 2017-2019, cooking was by far the leading cause of all residential building fires and injuries. Each Thanksgiving, fire departments in the United States responded to an estimated average of 2,300 cooking fires in residential buildings. These fires caused an estimated 5 deaths, 25 injuries, and over $26 million in property damage.
- Keep an eye on what you fry. Most cooking fires start when someone is frying food.
- Watch what you are cooking. Fires start when the heat is too high. If you see any smoke or the grease starts to boil, turn the burner off.
- Make sure you are awake and alert. Alcohol and some drugs can make you sleepy.
- Wear short sleeves or roll them up so they don’t catch on fire.
- Make sure children and pets stay at least 3 feet away from a hot stove.
- Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove so no one can bump them or pull them over.
- Move things that can burn away from the stove. This includes dishtowels, bags, boxes, paper, and curtains.
- Use a turkey fryer only outdoors on a sturdy, level surface well away from things that can burn.
- Determine the correct amount of oil needed by first placing the turkey in the pot with water.
- Make sure your turkey is completely thawed before frying it.
- Check the temperature often with a cooking thermometer so the oil won’t overheat.
- Use long cooking gloves that protect hands and arms when you handle the pot, lid, and handles of a turkey fryer.
Original source can be found here.
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