A frozen turkey, overheated oil and a few seconds were all it took to send flames into the air during a holiday cooking safety demonstration in Burlington
A frozen turkey, overheated oil and a few seconds were all it took to send flames into the air during a holiday cooking safety demonstration in Burlington
A frozen turkey, overheated oil, and just a few seconds of carelessness were all it took to send flames shooting into the air during a holiday safety demonstration in Burlington.
With Thanksgiving approaching, the Burlington Fire Department and the American Red Cross Vermont teamed up Tuesday to show how quickly cooking mistakes can turn dangerous.
Firefighters intentionally heated cooking oil to 580 degrees before lowering a frozen turkey into the fryer, causing flames to erupt.
The demonstration comes nearly a year after a family in Morrisonville, New York, lost their home in a Thanksgiving Day fire.
Firefighters told NBC5 at the time that the family was deep-frying a turkey inside their garage when oil spilled, setting two vehicles on fire. No injuries were reported.
Burlington Fire Marshal Matthew Stone shared several precautions:
Firefighters also showed why you should never use water on an oil fire. Water can cause burning oil to splatter and spread.
Experts also recommend keeping a suitable fire extinguisher nearby. If a fire becomes uncontrollable, move away and call 911.
The Red Cross says it has responded to 80 fires so far this year, helping more than 230 people.
Lemnah warned that distractions during holiday cooking can quickly become dangerous.
“When you're distracted, as we know, just like you don't want to be on your phone when you're driving, you don't want to be cooking and be distracted,” she said.
Officials encourage families to stay attentive while cooking, keep children and pets away from hot surfaces, and check smoke alarms before holiday gatherings.