Stay Safe This Thanksgiving: Expert Advice On Cooking Turkeys

Millions of Americans will be in the kitchen on Thanksgiving preparing a family feast. But safety experts said it's important to remember there is a major risk of fire this time of year.

It's become popular to deep fry the holiday turkey, but a demonstration showed what can happen if you use too much oil or try to fry a turkey that is not completely thawed. Where you use the fryer is also a safety factor.

"Not have the fryer in the house, in the garage, outside away from the house, not on the deck," said Alexander Hoehn-Saric, Chair of U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Hoehn-Saric said these fires have caused millions in damages over the years.

In 2020, a turkey fryer accident in Bedford, Massachusetts set a residential building on fire, leaving two dozen people homeless.

Accidents on the stove are also common. Every year, there are about 1,600 kitchen fires on Thanksgiving, including grease fires.

Fire Captain Dave Folio at the Scottsdale, Arizona Fire Department showed us how to put one out.

"One of the ways is just come in from the side and smother it. If you don't turn off the heat though and you let it go, it's going to come back. But as soon as you put that over it the oxygen is off, make sure to turn off the heat," Folio said.

Experts said the best way to prevent fires is to keep anything flammable away from the burners and always have an eye on the stove.

"Keep the kids away from the kitchen. So they're not running in, knocking something over," Hoehn-Saric said.

Cook with some extra caution to help prevent a tragedy this holiday.