Thanksgiving Day: Worst day of the year for home fires

Thanksgiving Day fires in residential structures cause more property damage and claim more lives than residential fires on any other day. The South Carolina Insurance News Service is urging Thanksgiving chefs to practice safety this season inside and out. Cooking is the leading cause of home fires, and fires related to the use of turkey fryers have caused property damage, injuries and even deaths as house fires and splashing of hot oil occur. From 1998 to 2007, there were 138 reported incidents involving turkey fryers, resulting in 36 injuries and nearly $8 million in propety loss.
Allison Dean Love, spokesperson for the South Carolina Insurance News Service offers some safety tips when it comes to frying turkey. “First, make sure that the turkey is fully thawed before putting it into the hot oil, and keep your small children and pets away from the cooker and the flame. Always fry your turkey outside and away from tany structure -not in the garage, and on a safe, solid surface.”
Turkey fryers require extremely large quantities of hot oil. It’s important that those doing the cooking make sure the fryer is not at risk of tipping over, overheating or spilling.
The main cause of residential cooking fires is food left unattended, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. Other leading causes of home cooking fires are flammable materials left too close to cooking equipment and equipment Thanksgiving Day fires in residential structures cause more property damage and claim more lives than residential fires on any other day. The South Carolina Insurance News Service is urging Thanksgiving chefs to practice safety this season inside and out. Cooking is the leading cause of home fires, and fires related to the use of turkey fryers have caused property damage, injuries and even deaths as house fires and splashing of hot oil occur. From 1998 to 2007, there were 138 reported incidents involving turkey fryers, resulting in 36 injuries and nearly $8 million in propety loss.
Allison Dean Love, spokesperson for the South Carolina Insurance News Service offers some safety tips when it comes to frying turkey. “First, make sure that the turkey is fully thawed before putting it into the hot oil, and keep your small children and pets away from the cooker and the flame. Always fry your turkey outside, away from the structure -not in the garage and and on a safe, solid surface.”
Turkey fryers require extremely large quantities of hot oil. It’s important that those doing the cooking make sure the fryer is not at risk of tipping overheating or spilling.
The main cause of residential cooking fires is food left unattended, says the U.S. Fire Administration. Other leading causes of home cooking fires are flammable materials left too close to cooking equipment and equipment left on unintentianally.