Chief Financial Officer and Fire Marshal Blaise Ingoglia is instructing Floridians on the finer points of fire safety regarding frying turkeys.
If ignored, people run the risk of having to call the Fire Department or even spend Thanksgiving in the emergency room.
Timing is everything, including for warnings like this.
“Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, and with more than three times the daily average. Cooking causes half over 52% of all reported home fires. So that is why it is vital for families to take just a few steps to ensure Thanksgiving isn’t ruined by a burnt turkey or a house fire,” the Spring Hill Republican explained.
Ingoglia warns not to dunk a frozen fowl into a frying vat.
“The bird must be completely thawed before putting it in the fryer, completely thawed, because if you don’t, there’s going to be problems. Hot oil combined with ice or water is a significant fire hazard,” he said.
He also insists that turkey frying is a grown-up’s game.
“This should be a no-brainer, but keep children far away while frying your turkey. Hot surfaces such as a stove or a turkey fryer can cause serious injury,” Ingoglia added. “We don’t want the kids to get burned by oil splashing when we put the turkey in or when we take the turkey out of the fryer.”
