Using a pulley and standing a safe distance away, a Chicago firefighter dropped a frozen bird into a turkey fryer with too much hot oil, splashing the viscous liquid everywhere. The oil swiftly ignited, and despite a quick reaction from another firefighter wielding a hose, bright orange flames as tall and wide as a CTA bus engulfed the fryer. “Thanksgiving is one of the year’s busiest days for fire departments, with cooking-related fires leading the charge,” said Fire Department Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt at the turkey-fry-gone-wrong demonstration Wednesday morning.
As families gear up for Thanksgiving gatherings stuffed with gratitude and bites of turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes and maybe green beans, officials at Quinn Fire Academy in the West Loop urged Chicagoans to remember one critical ingredient: safety. They demonstrated what not to do on Turkey Day. Indeed, more home cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving than any other day of the year.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, more than three times the average number of daily home cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving in 2022, more than 1,600 home cooking fires were reported to U.S.
fire departments. Cooking causes over half of all reported home fires and nearly two-fifths of home fire injuries, according to the association. Cooking is also the leading cause of home fire deaths.
The focal point of Wednesday’s Thanksgiving fire safety event, which took place at 10 a.m. in the fire.