Safety Experts Warn of Thanksgiving Fire Hazards

ABCNews.com(NEW YORK) — An old adage warns people not to play with fire, or but in a dramatic pre-Thanksgiving demonstration Tuesday, the Consumer Product Safety Commission did just that in order to alert Americans to a hazard they could face while celebrating the holiday.

Exhibiting how dangerous Thanksgiving meal preparation becomes when the proper precautions aren’t taken, the CPSC showcased both deep-fryer and stove-top fires in a presentation for reporters.

“Thanksgiving is such a great holiday — it’s exciting, it’s fun. Family is in town, you’re all excited to see each other. But that also leads to distractions,” CPSC Chairman Elliot Kaye said.

“If people are not paying close attention, we could end up having this,” he added, pointing out the singed residue of the demonstration.

The CPSC reports that 1,400 cooking fires occur each Thanksgiving — three times the national daily average. Deep-fried turkeys can be especially dangerous, with scalding oil and the resulting flames causing 107 incidents, 47 injuries and $5.2 million in property damage since 2004, according to the CPSC.

To protect against such trouble, the CPSC recommends keeping an eye on turkeys as they cook, removing flammable items from fires should they start and smothering stove-top flames rather than trying to extinguish them with water. Fryers should only be used to cook completely thawed turkeys and should be placed outdoors, a safe distance from one’s home.

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