Deep Fried Turkey Disaster

November 22, 2023

Deep Frying a Turkey for Thanksgiving? Know How to Use a Fire Extinguisher | Florida Personal Injury Lawyers Whittel & Melton

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

Frying turkeys did not seem to be a thing until a few decades ago, but it is now very popular. Indeed, it can also be very risky.

Thanksgiving, according to the National Fire Protection Agency, is a peak day for house fires in general, due to all the home cooking.

For your safety on Thanksgiving, consider the following advice:

When cooking, remain in the kitchen. It will allow you to monitor the situation should things go awry.
Simply stay at home while you are preparing the turkey, and be sure to keep any eye on it as cooking time progresses. Do not be tempted to sneak away to the neighbor’s house for a 2-hour glass of wine, or get wrapped up in a 3-hour phone call with your Aunt Linda in Chicago.
When hot foods and liquids are being prepared on Thanksgiving, make sure children are kept away from splash/splatter zones. Hot steam and scorching surfaces have the potential to cause severe burn injuries.
Do you have functional smoke alarms? Verify that they are by checking them – everything should be working if you hear an ear-piercing shriek from them.
Turkey fryers require a lot of oil and very high cooking temperatures. This may result in severe burns. In case you were unaware, fryers that do not require oil so exist.

Have You Used A Fire Extinguisher Before?

Try to keep the PASS method (pull, aim, squeeze, sweep) in mind when using a fire extinguisher.

Take the pin out. The seal will be broken as a result.
Aim low, at the fire’s base.
Apply pressure on the handle.
As you spray, move your hand side to side at the fire’s base.

November 20, 2017

Thanksgiving No. 1 Day For Home Cooking Fires

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

It’s almost Thanksgiving, and that means family and friends coming together to enjoy food and one another’s company. It is also the leading day for U.S. home cooking fires. According to the National Fire Protection Association’s latest “Home Fire Involving Cooking Equipment” report, nearly four times as many home cooking fires occurred on Thanksgiving Day in 2015 as on any other typical day of the year. The day before Thanksgiving represents the second-leading day for home cooking fires.

Between 2011 and 2015, U.S. fire departments responded to an annual average of 170,200 home structure fires involving cooking equipment, which resulted in 510 fire-related deaths, 5,470 fire-related injuries, and $1.2 billion in direct property damage. Unattended cooking is, by far, the top contributing factor in home cooking fires and fire-related fatalities.

Between 2011 and 2015, cooking equipment was involved in almost half of all reported home fire incidents. Cooking fires caused 20 percent of home fire deaths, and accounted for 45 percent of the reported home fire injuries.

It is very easy to get distracted at Thanksgiving due to the fact that most people are cooking multiple dishes and trying to entertain guests. You may easily be prompted to walk away from the kitchen or forget something is cooking on the stovetop or in the oven. However, just one simple mistake can increase the likelihood of a cooking fire.

Fortunately, there are many simple steps you can take to greatly reduce the risk of cooking fires on Thanksgiving and beyond. The following are NFPA tips and recommendations for cooking safely:

Stay in the kitchen when cooking to keep a close eye on the food, especially when frying with oil.
Use a timer to keep track of cooking times. Check the stove or oven frequently. Consider putting timers in different rooms so that you can hear them over music, football games, and party chatter.
Stay alert and focused when cooking. To help minimize the risk of injury, avoid cooking when drinking alcohol or if you’re tired.
Keep things that can easily catch fire like oven mitts, wooden utensils, food wrappers and towels away from the cooking area.
Kids should stay 3 feet away from stovetops, as well as from hot food and liquids. The steam or splash from vegetables, or gravy could cause serious burns.
Frying turkeys at Thanksgiving has become increasingly popular. However, NFPA discourages the use of turkey fryers, as they can lead to devastating burns, other injuries, and the destruction of property due to the extensive amount of hot oil used with fryers. If you prefer fried turkey, check out your local grocery stores, specialty food retailers and restaurants that sell deep fried turkeys.

November 23, 2015

Be Safe in the Kitchen This Thanksgiving

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

If you are like most Americans, you will likely be spending numerous hours in the kitchen over the Thanksgiving holiday. Unfortunately, that increased activity also leads to more chances of residential home fires, according to data from the National Fire Protection Association. According to reports, the Thanksgiving holiday sees three times the nation’s daily average in emergency fire accidents. Research shows that fires originating in the kitchen are the top reason for home fires and burn injuries. Last year, fire departments throughout the country replied to a median of almost 156,000 fires resulting from cooking mishaps, which led to 390 deaths and 4,800 injuries, not to mention a whopping $771 million in property damages.

Keeping all this in mind, please follow a few simple fire prevention safety steps this Thanksgiving holiday when you and your family are in the kitchen:

Keep items away from the stove or oven that may catch fire, including cloth mitts, wood items, and any kind of packaging. Other potential fire hazards to watch out for are rags or towels, aprons, clothes, and even drapes.
Never leave the stove or oven unattended, even if you are walking away for a few seconds. Turn the heat off whenever you leave the room. Many fires start because an oven or stove is left unsupervised for a very short amount of time.
Use timers to stay on top of cooking schedules and to avoid burning accidents that can result in fires.
If you do happen to start a small fire in a pan or oven, immediately cover it with a metal or glass lid and turn the heat off. If it does not extinguish after 30 seconds, call the fire department for immediate assistance.

November 26, 2014

Stay Safe: Don’t Let a Deep Fried Turkey Disaster Ruin Your Thanksgiving

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

Thanksgiving is usually a time spent with family and friends carrying on old traditions while making new memories. Frying a turkey has become one of those new traditions for many households across America. However, the reality is that this tradition could end in tragedy. House fires from turkey frying have become more and more common the past few years. The good news is that many of these fires can be prevented by taking certain safety precautions.

Turkey Fryer Safety Tips

Lots of people choose to fry their turkeys instead of cook them in the oven. Those who fry their bird usually use outdoor turkey fryers that are connected to some type of gas source, like propane. In fact, according to the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, more than one-third of fires involving turkey fryers take place in someone’s garage or patio. With that said, if you are frying a turkey this year, make sure you are a safe distance away from trees or buildings. Turkey fryers should be kept off all wooden structures, like patios and decks, at all times.

Another important thing to remember is to fully thaw your turkey before placing it in the fryer. It only takes a small amount of grease to spill onto the fire source for your Thanksgiving to end in disaster. Start your turkey frying process by filling your turkey fryer with cold oil, then lower the properly-thawed turkey into the pot to determine how much oil should be added or removed and then you can start heating the oil. Doing this can help avoid hot oil spills and potential fires.

The last thing to remember is to stay close to the turkey fryer at all times when it is in use. Do not leave the fryer unattended and always keep a fire extinguisher nearby just in case an emergency arises.

November 21, 2013

Florida Personal Injury Lawyer :: Cooking Your Thanksgiving Dinner Safely this Year

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

It is that time of year again and the Thanksgiving holiday is almost here! The focus on this holiday tends to be food and family, so it is important to bring up some cooking safety tips so that you can make sure your Thanksgiving meal goes off without a hitch.

The Thanksgiving holiday sees more residential fire deaths, injuries and property damage than any other day of the year. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, an average of 1,300 cooking fires were reported on Thanksgiving Day from 2009 to 2011, which is more than triple the average daily rate of about 400 cooking fires.

Fortunately, with good planning and solid lines of communication between all the chefs in the family, these fires can ultimately be prevented. The following tips can help to keep your holiday safe:

• Stand by your pan! You should never leave food that is cooking unattended. In case you need to walk away from your dish, turn the stove off or ask someone else to watch the food.

• Check your smoke alarms. What good is a smoke alarm if it does not work? Make sure you have properly working smoke alarms in your kitchen.

• Keep away from candles. It is best to avoid using these, especially if young children are around.

• Keep flammable objects away from the stovetop. This includes, oven mitts, wooden utensils, towels and other kitchen aides.

• Use a timer. This will remind you when dishes are done and when you can stop cooking.

• Keep electrical cords away from children. If you have electric appliances make sure cords are not left dangling in front of or near a child that can easily grab it.

• Keep children out of the kitchen until food has had time to cool. When food, such as vegetables and gravies, is too hot, serious skin burns can be caused to those that touch it.

Should a cooking fire arise in your household, follow these steps:

• In the event of a cooking fire, call 911, get everyone outdoors to safety and wait for the fire department to arrive.

• Keep a fire extinguisher in your kitchen just in case a fire ignites. Make sure the fire extinguisher is in working condition and is properly charged.

• If an oven fire breaks out in your kitchen, turn off the heat and keep the door closed.

• For small grease fires, it is best to smother the flames by sliding the lid over the pan and turning off the stove top. Keep the lid on the pan until it has cooled. Never use water to extinguish a grease fire as this could leave you with some serious burn injuries.

November 22, 2011

Thanksgiving Personal Injury Lawyers Whittel & Melton on Avoiding Deep Fried Turkey Disasters

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, many Floridians have opted to try a new spin on the holiday staple – deep fried turkey. While the results can be delicious, deep frying can also be quite dangerous. In fact, the use of outdoor gas-fueled turkey fryers require turkeys to be immersed in a large quantity of cooking oil at extremely high temperatures, which can ultimately release hot oil during the cooking process that can leave you and your neighbors, guests and loved ones with devastating burns and catastrophic injuries as well as put your home at risk for property damage.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, Thanksgiving Day yields the highest number of cooking fires in the United States. Cooking fires are also the number one cause of home fires that cause an annual average of 390 deaths, 4,800 injuries and $771 million in property damage. With that said, the NFPA also reports that deep fryer fires cause an average of 5 deaths, 60 injuries and more than $15 million in property damage every year.

As turkey frying peaks more and more interests, the number of fryer-related injuries and fires are on the rise. According to State Farm Insurance claims data from 2005-2010, the state of Florida ranks seventh in the top 10 states for Thanksgiving Day cooking fires. The other nine states with the most turkey fire-related insurance claims include Texas, Illinois, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota, Indiana and Louisiana.

To reduce the risk of deep fried disasters this holiday, follow these safety tips:

1. Avoid Filling Your Pot With Excess Oil – When a fryer contains too much oil, the odds the oil will spill out of the pot when the turkey is submerged is high. If the oil makes contact with a burner a major fire can arise. Read and follow all instructions with your cooking pot or fryer and make sure oil does not exceed the proper level.

2. Properly Thaw Your Turkey Before Dropping It Into the Oil – Placing a frozen or partially frozen turkey into a fryer can cause the hot oil to spill, which can result in a significant fire or burn injury. Do not thaw your turkey by using water, instead wait the proper amount of time until your turkey is fully thawed and then slowly release it into the pot so that splashing and spills are avoided.

3. Place Your Turkey Fryer On A Level Surface – Many fryer fires start on a structure or deck, so make sure you place your outdoor fryer on a firm and non-combustible surface. It is best to keep the fryer off of wooden surfaces and a safe distance away from buildings. Because many fryers are top-heavy it is essential to keep them on a level surface so that they do not tip over.

4. Don’t Leave Your Fryer Unattended – Remember that when you fry a turkey you are using grease or oil that is combustible, so do not walk away from a hot fryer. There are fryers that do not have thermostat controls and if unattended, the oil could ignite from extreme temperatures.

Should a cooking fire arise…
1. Get yourself and your loved ones away from the fire immediately. If the fire is in the house, closing the door behind you once you are outside may help to contain the fire.

2. Call 911 as soon as you can.

3. If you try to extinguish the fire, do not use ice or water. It is best to have an extinguisher approved for cooking or grease fires nearby should an emergency erupt.

4. Small grease fires can be contained by having a lid nearby when cooking that can smother grease fires. By placing the lid over the pan and turning the stovetop off, the fire can be smothered easily. The pan should remain covered until it is thoroughly cooled.

5. If an oven fire should arise, keep the oven door shut and turn the heat completely off.

Due to the risks of severe property damage and serious bodily injuries associated with frying turkeys, the NFPA advises that for those craving fried turkey this holiday season to purchase one already fried from a local specialty food or grocery store. No matter how you choose to prepare your turkey this year, the Florida Personal Injury Lawyers at Whittel & Melton, LLC advise you to exercise extreme caution and wish you and your loved ones a safe holiday season.