Are you planning to deep-fry a turkey this year? While it's a tradition in many regions of the U.S., from the South to the Midwest, it is still a precarious cooking task. Our thoughts go out to the Houston family that, on the afternoon of Thanksgiving Day, saw their home engulfed in flames after an accident with the turkey fryer.
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How To Prevent a House Fire When Deep Frying Your Turkey
The Eastex Fire Department posted these cooking fire photos on Facebook on Thanksgiving evening, and they serve as a warning to those looking to deep fry their holiday birds all the way until Christmas.
When firefighters arrived on the scene, flames engulfed the home and black clouds of smoke wafted from the air.
As the Eastex Fire Department wrote, the cause was declared accidental from a turkey fryer. The damage to the home was extensive, though no one was injured.
This isn't the first time we've seen property damage due to an accident while deep frying turkey, but we certainly hope it will be the last. No holiday meal is worth your home, and our thoughts are with this Houston family as they rebuild their home.
The footage shows just how nasty these fires can become. Deep-fried turkey is delicious, of course, but it isn't worth everything so the next time you consider frying your holiday bird, please use extreme safety and caution.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, (NFPA), Thanksgiving is the most popular day of home cooking fires followed by Christmas Day and Christmas Eve. People are preparing their dishes on the stovetop and walk away to take a look at the parade or the game. That unattended cooking could spark a fire and cause a stressful holiday season.
Keep a fire extinguisher nearby in case an accident happens, and do not hesitate to call the fire department in your area if something goes wrong. Home fires and fire safety is nothing to joke about, so make sure to double-check that hot oil before dropping in that bird.
This was originally published on November 27, 2017.
