Thanksgiving Fire Safety

Don't inadvertently invite the fire department to your family dinner.

In your pursuit of the perfect bird, don’t let your quest for culinary mastery become a quest for fire instead. Fire and safety experts say Thanksgiving dinner is one of the riskiest times for fires around the home, and cooking the meal is in large part to blame.

“We’re not used to cooking such a big meal every day,” said Fargo Fire Battalion Chief Bruce Anderson, who’s responded to many a house and deck fire on Thanksgiving in the city of Fargo during his car. “Thanksgiving is the biggest holiday for cooking fires,” he said. “We tend to get distracted with so much multi-tasking to do.”

Besides the task at hand of feeding a large crowd a meal with many components, there’s also the temptation to leave the kitchen to attend to guests, something Anderson said cooks should avoid.

Children are also at risk and should be kept clear of the kitchen. Experts recommend keeping kids at least 3 feet away from the stove and the floor clear of any tripping hazards. You can set out activities like games, toys and coloring books to make sure kids aren’t tempted to join you in the danger zone.

Then there’s the deep fryer, which came into vogue about a decade ago and remains a popular method of cooking turkeys. “Make sure the turkey is completely thawed and that your cooking oil is 350 degrees,” said Anderson. You should also keep the deep fryer outdoors and away from your home in case of overflows and ignition.

Anderson also taught us how to prepare a turkey the way he grew up doing it on his family’s Minnesota turkey farm. Check out his live in-studio interview on fire safety and the taste test too!