TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — As Thanksgiving celebrations get underway, the Tucson Fire Department is urging people who are cooking to stay alert in the kitchen. Fire officials said they responded to two cooking-related calls on Wednesday alone — a reminder of how quickly holiday meal prep can turn dangerous.
TFD Captain Mario Ciarlo said the simplest way to prevent a kitchen fire is to be aware of what’s near your stove or oven.
“Anytime you’re dealing with a live fire or ovens, you want to make sure you don’t have any combustibles on the cooking surface,” Ciarlo said.
He also advises keeping pot and pan handles turned inward so they don’t get accidentally bumped. Sometimes an oven flare-up can catch cooks off guard.
“If you open the oven door and you see a fire in there, the best thing to do is just shut the oven and make sure the power to the oven is off,” Ciarlo said.
Kitchen hazards aren’t limited to flames. Ciarlo noted that many spills and falls happen when items are too close to the edge of a counter.
“Oftentimes you have containers of liquids near your countertops,” he said. “Push your items in a little bit so they don’t have an increased risk of getting knocked off.”
For those who choose to fry their turkey outdoors, Ciarlo warns that frozen birds and hot oil are a dangerous combination.
“If it’s a frozen turkey and you put it in hot grease and it explodes, chances are it’s going to be out of the container at that point,” he said. “Just evacuate and contact 911.”
If a small outdoor fire is manageable, covering the pot can smother flames — but only if it’s safe to do so.
Ciarlo recommends every kitchen have a Class A-B-C fire extinguisher, which works on ordinary combustibles, flammable liquids, and electrical equipment, including grease fires. He also suggests remembering the word PASS: pull the pin, aim the hose, squeeze the handle, and sweep side to side at the base of the fire.
If you don’t have an extinguisher and can’t safely place a lid on a grease fire, household products like baking soda or sugar can help smother flames.
TFD also reminds families to make sure their smoke alarms are working properly.
“We always recommend checking your batteries monthly,” Ciarlo said. Many residential alarms are hardwired but still rely on battery backups.
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Andrew Christiansen is a reporter for KGUN 9. Before joining the team, Andrew reported in Corpus Christi, Texas for KRIS6 News, Action 10 News and guest reported in Spanish for Telemundo Corpus Christi. Share your story ideas with Andrew by emailing andrew.christiansen@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.
