You may not be aware that Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires. For this reason, we at Atlanta Real Estate Forum wanted to remind all of you to be especially safe this holiday weekend when cooking, and give you a few statistics that may help motivate you to be overly careful. In 2005, fire departments responded to 146,600 home structure fires that involved cooking equipment. These fires caused 480 casualties, left 4,690 injured and resulted in $876 million in direct property damage.
Ever since deep-frying turkeys became a popular alternative to the traditional oven-roasting, it seems that Thanksgiving-related fires have drastically increased. So, if a fried turkey is on your menu for Thanksgiving day, please be sure to use water as a preliminary test for how much oil is needed. Fill the pot with an estimated amount of water, then insert the turkey to see how much liquid is displaced. Continue this trial-and-error strategy until you discover the exact amount of oil it will take to fill the pot without having any overflow when the turkey is added.
As for the indoor cooking:
- Remember to never leave cooking equipment unattended – this has always been the leading factor contributing to home cooking fires
- Be sure that nothing flammable is located near an open flame or any other cooking equipment
- Have a “kid-free zone” of at least 3 feed around the stove and areas where hot food or drink is prepared or carried
- Wear short, close fitting clothes – you can also roll up sleeves, but just be sure no clothing could possibly hang close to the burners
- Never use a wet oven mitt
- Make sure an oven mitt or lid is always close by when you’re cooking – grease fires need to be smothered and a lid is an optimal tool to use
We hope these fire-safety tips stay fresh in your mind for Thanksgiving day. Happy Thanksgiving!