MILWAUKEE — Thanksgiving is the biggest day of the year for home fires and most of those happen in the kitchen.
West Bend Fire Department‘s Captain of Fire Prevention, Kenny Asselin tells WTMJ’s Spanning the State about staying safe on Thanksgiving and what to do if a fire breaks out.
Asselin says grease fires are notably hazardous, especially when people panic: “If a grease fire does break out, do not move the pan do not throw water on it. Throw that cover on the pan. If you don’t have the cover for the pan, you can use a cookie sheet.”
Asselin doesn’t reccomend using fire blankets because they are untested, and can cause grease to splash back. He adds people have to reach over the fire to use the blanket and risk getting burned — people should slide any cover onto on the pan from the side rather than from the top.
Baking soda or a fire extinguisher are always good options, but the extinguisher should be used from six to ten feet away to prevent spreading the fire. Asselin adds it’s also important to keep an eye on food while it’s cooking and reccomends setting a timer or other reminder before leaving the room.
Asselin also reccomends rethinking that fried Thanksgiving turkey. According to the National Fire Protecion Agency, using that oil fryer is a bad idea, even for experienced fryers.
“These turkey fryers use a substantial amount of cooking oil at high temperatures and units currently available for home use pose a significant danger that hot oil will be released at some point during the cooking process.”
If fried turkey is a must-have, Asselin recommends buying it pre-fried or getting a fryer that doesn’t use oil.
If a fire spreads, or gets too large to safely put out on your own, get everyone to a safe place and call the fire department.
