ECFR Reminds Residents to Practice Fire Safety this Thanksgiving

Escambia County Fire Rescue reminds residents to stay safe when cooking this Thanksgiving, which is the peak day for home-cooking fires across the United States.

"Escambia County Fire Rescue wishes everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving," Fire Chief Adam Harrison said. "The Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are the busiest times of the year for house fires, especially in the kitchen. While preparing your holiday meals, we encourage residents to pay close attention while cooking and make safety a priority to ensure a great Thanksgiving."

Follow these tips to help prevent fires and to be better prepared in the event of a fire:

• Always have working smoke alarm in your home. For information about obtaining a home smoke alarm, call 850-595-HERO (4376). City of Pensacola residents may call 850-436-5200 for assistance with the installation of a smoke alarm.
• Have an escape plan and know two ways out of every room in your home.
• In the event of a fire, call 911, even if you think the fire is out. 
• Never leave cooking food unattended. If you must leave the room, turn the stove off first. 
• Do not panic if a pan catches on fire. Place a lid over the pan, turn the heat source off and let the pan cool. 
• If a fire occurs in your oven, leave the door closed and turn the oven off to prevent the fire from spreading. 
• Keep children at least three feet away from the stove. 
• Never wear loose clothing while cooking. 
• Keep the area around the stove clear of anything that can burn, including packaging, paper towels and dishcloths.
• Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove so you don’t bump them.

Turkey Frying Safety Tips

Watch a video from ECFR demonstrating the dangers of turkey frying.

• Use a fryer with thermostat controls. This will ensure the oil does not become overheated.
• Thaw your turkey completely. Ice on the turkey will cause the oil to splatter.
• Don’t overfill the pot with oil. If you do, the oil will overflow when you add the turkey, causing a fire hazard.
• Always use the fryer outdoors. Ensure the fryer is at least 10 feet from a structure or other combustible material.
• Only use your turkey fryer on sturdy, level surfaces as they can easily tip over.
• Consider using an electrical or air fryer.

Thanksgiving Fire Statistics

• Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, with more than three times the daily average for such incidents.
• Unattended cooking was by far the leading contributing factor in cooking fires and fire deaths.
• Cooking causes half (52%) of all reported home fires and nearly two of every five (36%) home fire injuries, and it is a leading cause of home fire deaths (16%).
• On Thanksgiving Day alone, an estimated 1,446 home cooking fires were reported to U.S fire departments in 2023, reflecting 388% of the daily average.
• For structure fires occurring on Thanksgiving Day, approximately 80% are due to cooking. Those cooking fires account for 40% of the civilian injuries sustained in structure fires that occurred on Thanksgiving.

Source: National Fire Protection Association

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