Pflugerville Fire Dept. Offers Thanksgiving Cooking Safety Tips

PFLUGERVILLE, TX - With Thanksgiving just days away, the Pflugerville Fire Department is offering a few safety tips for anyone cooking a big meal on Nov. 28. Many cooking fires, firefighters said, happen during the holidays. According to the department, grease fires are especially common.

"Turkey fryers are risky because they use a lot of cooking oil at high temperatures," the department posted on its official Facebook page. "Hot oil can be released during cooking, and the burners can ignite this spilled oil."

If you decide to fry, firefighters warn not to overfill the pot with oil, choose a smaller turkey (up to 10 pounds) and ensure it’s completely thawed and patted dry before cooking. Only fry on a flat surface in the open, well-ventilated outdoors, they said.

To make sure you know what to do (and NOT to do) if a grease fire happens to you, the Pflugerville Fire Department offered these additional safety tips:

• If the fire is on your stove, do not use water to try to put out a grease fire. Instead, turn off the heat if possible, and carefully slide a lid or a baking sheet over it. Remember "COVER TO SMOTHER."
• Consider using a fire extinguisher that you should always keep handy in the kitchen area — but only if you know how to use it, the fire is small, and the fire isn't between you and your only exit.
• If the fire is in your oven, keep the oven door closed and allow the fire to go out on its own if possible. If it does, wait a few minutes then open your windows and carefully open the oven door. It will be smoky.
• If the fire isn't going out quickly, just GET OUT OF THE HOUSE to your safe meeting spot and call 911.