Lubbock Fire Rescue urges kitchen and fire safety ahead of Thanksgiving

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - With nearly a week until Thanksgiving, for many the day is filled with lots of cooking which can often lead to some distractions and accidents in the kitchen. Lubbock Fire Rescue spoke to KCBD about the importance of fire safety ahead of the holiday season.

“Here in Lubbock and nationwide the number one cause of fires is and has been and will continue to be cooking fires,” Nick Wilson, Deputy Chief at LFR, said

Deputy Wilson says the biggest mistake many make on Thanksgiving is getting caught up with family and friends, and leaving the kitchen unattended.

“People get busy, we even see sometimes people leave the house to run to the store real quick, and by the time they get back oftentimes they find the fire department there at their house,” Wilson said.

If you’re planning to fry a turkey this year, you may need to take it out of the freezer sooner rather than later.

“It’s just a bad combination when you take a frozen turkey that’s got ice and water in it and you drop it into hot oil,” Wilson said.

Failure to properly prepare that Thanksgiving bird could end in disaster.

“We want to fry that turkey away from the house or anything combustible it is very tempting to do that on the back porch in West Texas we have a lot of wind they want to get in that protected or covered area but if something does happen the chances of catching the whole back side of your house on fire and that fire spreading rapidly is very high,” Wilson said.

Wilson says if you do end up with a grease fire don’t make the common mistakes like trying to put out the blaze with water or flour.

“A lot of times you can end up with a bigger fireball so again leave the area call the fire department, cover it with a lid, turn off that stove, and use a fire extinguisher are all good tips,” Wilson said.

Copyright 2023 KCBD. All rights reserved.