Jackson Fire Department warns of dangers of deep-frying a turkey
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DOWNTOWN JACKSON — It is that time of year again — turkey time. But if your bird is not cooked right, it could turn disastrous. “It’s very dangerous. People burn their homes down each year taking this on,” said Firefighter Rico Bryson with the Jackson Fire Department. “It’s not one of those, ‘hey, look at this’ or ‘hey,’ hold my beer’ type of things.” Deep frying a turkey has become more and more popular, but there are many dangers. So before you fire up your cooker, the Jackson Fire Department says play it safe. “You want to have it on a level surface, a hard surface, not the patio back behind the house,” Bryson said. They also said make sure to use the right amount of oil so it does not overflow. Though many new fryers have safeguards to ward against fiery explosions, experts said thawing your turkey is key. “If you’re introducing that to the grease and it’s still frozen or wet, the grease will react to the fire,” Bryson said. If your turkey fryer ends up boiling over and catching on fire, it is always helpful to have a fire extinguisher nearby. “Typically, these types of fires act real violently,” Bryson said. “So if you can’t put a lid on it, use a portable fire extinguisher, not water, to put it out.” The Jackson Fire Department said although deep-frying a turkey may seem fun, they do not encourage people to do it.
