Local fire department shares fire prevention tips for this Thanksgiving

It’s everyone’s favorite holiday and the dinner is the main attraction and so are possible fires. National numbers say the average number of reported house fires triples on Thanksgiving.

“We often see during Thanksgiving a lot of house fires,” said Lauderdale County Fire Coordinator Allan Dover. “They range anywhere from just food on fire to spreading to the cabinets and most of it is due to general attention.”

If you’re frying up a turkey this year, it’s best to do so away from your deck or porch for safety measures. Dover says common mistakes people make is not properly thawing the bird or drying it and that can cause an eruption.

“Anytime you add either ice--it’s like a thunderstorm. You have cold air and hot air come together and then lightning strikes. Well, with hot oil, it has a tendency to erupt over the sides of it which is now hitting an open flame.”

If you do not have a fire extinguisher on hand and a fire does break out, Dover suggests using baking soda as a substitute.

“They just really need to make sure they’re staying with that food while they’re cooking it. It’s a lot of people going to be in the house. If they stay with it and make sure they turn the burners off--and cleanliness is always a good way to prevent a fire.”

If you do experience a fire on Thanksgiving, please call your local fire department.