It’s Not Old News: Don’t Let Fire Ruin Your Holidays

According to the U.S Fire administration, over 900 people die in winter home fires every year.

Cooking is the leading cause.

Thanksgiving is only days away.

Aside from giving thanks, the holiday has a lot to do with cooking up a feast.

I spoke with the Fargo Fire Department on tips to make sure your feast doesn’t end up in flames.

A quick way to ruin your holiday is with a cooking fire.

“Seems like every holiday season we end up having somewhere in the region, we end up having a fire that turns out to be tragic. Everyone is looking to have a good time with the holidays and sometimes whether it’s an accident or not, something bad can happen,” says Fargo Fire Captain, Ron Guggisberg.

Unattended cooking is the leading cause for cooking fires.

But you can prevent this tragedy with a few safety tips.

First make sure those smoke detectors work.

Next, keep an eye on your cooking by staying in the kitchen.

And also, set a timer if you need it.

But it’s one cooking method that increasing in popularity that’s causing many kitchen fires.

Deep frying your turkey.

“Since it is an open flame and you’re using grease to cook the turkey, if you really want to make sure you do it outside in a well ventilated area,” says Guggisberg.

Juggling between entertaining guests and cooking can be recipe disaster.

Just make sure you’re aware of what’s cooking in the stove.

“Try not to burn the food and don’t leave the stove on. I don’t know what to say, that’s about it,” says Fargo resident, Jim Dever.

For some chefs, a stove isn’t needed for a juicy turkey.

“My tip for cooking a turkey a new wave oven. Love it. Stick it in. Let it go, turn it on. It’s done four hours later. All I put is a little oil on it. It’s crispy, golden brown on the outside, nice and juicy on the inside,” says Dsiree Hapka of Fargo.

No matter how you choose to cook this holiday, take the extra step to be more alert.

Whether it be checking your smoke detectors to using a cooking timer.