Thanksgiving Grease Fire Safety Tips
Besides Christmas, Thanksgiving is the peak holiday for cooking fires. Cooking your turkey by frying it in hot grease is an ideal way to enjoy a favorite holiday meal, but you should take the necessary precautions to prevent a grease fire from occurring. Grease fires happen when cooking oil becomes too hot and begins to smoke. That’s when the grease becomes at risk of catching on fire.
Tips to Prevent Grease Fires
- Pay close attention! We understand that during the Thanksgiving holiday you are bombarded with family, friends, and the things going on around the house, but taking your attention off the kitchen when cooking your feast is a recipe for disaster. It can be easy to forget a pot on the backburner until it’s too late and all you see is plumes of smoke. Grab your friends and family and ask for help watching everything to make sure pots aren’t boiling over and the kitchen is safe.
- When frying turkeys, use a thermometer to gauge oil temperature in order to prevent the risk of burning the oil and starting a grease fire. The oil should be heated slowly, so don’t turn up the burner full blast. Don’t rush the process and take your time!
- Never put a frozen solid turkey into hot grease! The extreme temperature change can cause an explosion and severe property damage.
How NOT to Put Out a Grease Fire
- Do NOT use liquids of any kind, especially water! The water you splash onto the fire will go under the burning oil causing the burning oil to spread quickly.
- Do NOT grab the pot and try to take it to another location, like going outside. You are running the risk of causing more damage to your home or self. Hot burning cooking oil will cause severe burns if it meets with your skin and also damage property.
- Do NOT fan the flames of a grease fire. Fanning can cause the grease to splash around, and the oxygen will only feed into the fire causing it to grow and spread in the kitchen.
How to Properly Extinguish a Grease Fire
The very first thing to do is shut off the burner or heating source. It will slowly cause the fire to die out. Not the fastest method, but it is the most recommended by fire safety officials.
Use a large lid and cover the pot on top of the flames. Cutting off the oxygen to the fire will cause it to extinguish. Always leave the lid to the pot of grease close by to stop a fire if it happens.
Fire extinguishers are made to take on minor kitchen fires. Point the nozzle of the extinguisher directly into the pot and spray in a sweeping motion. Call the local fire department or emergency hotline if the fire becomes out of control.
There When You Need Us Most
We certainly understand that even with proper precaution, accidents are still bound to occur. Our team of dedicated professionals is there when you need us most. If you have fire damage to your business or home, please contact us at Guarantee Restoration Services. 24/7 is not just a number, it’s a GUARANTEE!
