The last thing you want visiting on Thanksgiving is an emergency. Even if you are the most prepared person in the world, a fire on Thanksgiving is not exactly the way you want to spend time with your family. 

These 13 turkey frying safety tips will help you enjoy the day, with no need for the fire extinguisher. 

Turkey Frying Safety Tips

  1. Do not leave fryer unattended for any amount of time.
  2. Keep children and pets away from the fryer, even after you turn it off. Oil can remain hot for an extended period of time. 
  3. Wear protective gear including heat resistant grill mitts and eye protection.
  4. Make sure your turkey is completely defrosted and dry before immersing it in oil.
  5. Have a grease-rated fire extinguisher nearby in case of an accident. 
  6. Never use an air fryer in the rain or snow.
  7. Do not use an air fryer on a deck, near trees, or in any other area that can be flammable. Oil can splatter and spray so you want to keep it away from flammable surfaces.
  8. Be sure fryer is on a level surface. Do not move it around once heating.
  9. Leave two feet of space between the tank and burner when using a propane-powered fryer. Wrapping the hose in aluminum foil can prevent splattering hot oil from getting on it which is an extra level of safety.
  10. Do not overfill the fryer.
  11. Immediately turn burner off if oil is smoking. Use a fryer with a temperature gauge and keep a sharp eye on it.
  12. Turn off the burner before lowering the turkey into the oil, then once the turkey is submerged you can turn the burner on.
  13. When turkey is done, carefully remove the pot from the burner. Place it on a level surface and cover to let the oil cool overnight before disposing.

The above will help you keep any potential accident to a minimum. You do not want to be a turkey fryer statistic like those below.

Turkey Fryer Incident Statistics

Each year U.S. fire departments received an estimated 2,300 reports of building fires on Thanksgiving Day. This was for the years 2017-2019. The fires resulted in an average of 5 deaths, 25 injuries, and an estimated $26 million in property loss. 

Most of the fires occur between 11am to 4pm with 12pm-2pm being the biggest hours of the day. In good news, 75% of the fires were limited to the object where the fire started and did not spread. 

Multifamily dwellings accounted for 32.6% of the fires and 1 and 2 person dwellings 59.7%. 

Texas leads the pack for the most grease and cooking fires. 

Sources:
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
Fema