With Thanksgiving fast approaching, fire departments across the country are reminding people that the holiday is also the primetime for house fires caused by cooking.
An estimated 1,446 home cooking fires were reported to fire departments nationwide on Thanksgiving 2023, according to the National Fire Protection Association, the most recent data available.
That’s a 388% increase over the daily average for home cooking fires, according to the association, a nonprofit organization which seeks to educate the public on fire safety.
Christmas Day and Christmas Eve ranked second and third, respectively, among the top days of the year for home cooking fires, according to the organization’s data.
Cooking – specifically unattended cooking – is already the leading cause of house fires in the United States, according to the Association. Between 2019 and 2023, cooking accounted for 80% of U.S. home fires on Thanksgiving Day and 40% of civilian injuries. No deaths were reported during this timeframe, according to the Association.
In Ohio, fire departments responded to more than 350 fires during the week of Thanksgiving 2024, including 66 that were cooking-related, according to the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of State Fire Marshal.
Columbus Fire Battalion Chief Jeffrey Geitter spoke with The Dispatch about preventing cooking fires during the holiday and precautions that people can take to avoid disaster, including tips on using a deep fryer to prepare turkeys.
Columbus Division of Fire: 71 fires reported during Thanksgiving week between 2005 and 2024
Between 2005 and 2024, the Columbus Division of Fire responded to 71 fires during Thanksgiving week, according to division data. The highest number of Thanksgiving week fires was reported in 2021 with eight incidents, the division’s data shows. The years 2011 through 2013 were not included in the data.
Thanksgiving can be a hectic time because of the heightened activity in homes, Geitter said. With several dishes cooking at once, an unlimited number of potential distractions and the presence of young children, it can set the stage for potential disaster.
“There’s always safety issues really around the holidays, whether it’s cooking or other things,” he said.
One of the most pressing hazards is children in the vicinity of hot stoves or active ovens and potentially touching a hot pot or pan, Geitter said. In addition to watching curious kids, adults in the room should be mindful of knives left unattended and be aware of things like candles next to flammable objects.
He also said the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is normally a time for parties and warned against driving drunk.
Deep frying turkeys is OK, but only use fryer outside, fire chief says
While the Association doesn’t advise the use of turkey fryers due to the chance of severe burns from the high levels of cooking oil that it requires, Geitter said fryers may be used – but with caution.
“Deep-fried turkey is delicious. It’s amazing, but there’s some safety measures [people should take],” Geitter said.
VIDEO showing dangers of deep frying turkey
According to data from the Columbus Division of Fire, firefighters responded to six incidents involving turkey fryers between 2009 and 2020. In three of the cases, the fryer was engulfed in flames and resulted in property damage. In one case, someone was trying to use the fryer but was advised not to by the fire department due to the strong winds that day. The other two cases did not result in damage to property or injuries, according to the data.
The most important tip Geitter gave is to use a deep fryer outside because of the heights that the fire can reach in the event that one breaks out. He also said they should be used on flat, level concrete.
Geitter said the fryer shouldn’t be filled too high with cooking oil. Most if not all deep fryers have a fill line, and those using them should not fill the fryer above that line, he said.
A simple trick to avoid overfilling your fryer is to start with water, Geitter said. Put the turkey in the fryer filled with water first, and you’ll see about how high the oil will rise later, he said.
Lastly, Geitter recommends that the turkey be completely thawed before dropping it in the fryer.
National Fire Protection Association offers more Thanksgiving cooking safety tips
The National Fire Protection Association offers several cooking safety tips to make sure that your Thanksgiving plans don’t go up in flames:
Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@dispatch.com, at ShahidMeighan on X and at shahidthereporter.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Thanksgiving is No. 1 day for home cooking fires, fire officials warn
Reporting by Shahid Meighan, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
