As you prepare to cook your turkey and the side dishes that go with it, fire safety needs to be something you give serious thought to tomorrow.
There's plenty that can go wrong if you're not careful.
Ashley Rodrigue, Public Affairs Direction with the Louisiana State Fire Marshal's Office, says one of those things is having to deal with a grease fire or flames from another source.
She says first off, "Stand by your pan. If you're cooking in the kitchen, stay there with it. And, that has to do not with just what's on top of the stove, but certainly in the oven as well."
Rodrigue says, "We want to make sure you're not distracted, that's you're not impaired, that you're in the kitchen space as any type of open flame or any type of heating element is going."
She says in the event of a grease fire, "Turn the burner off first, and cover it with a lid. Don't try to run around with a pan and throw it outside. Don't put water on grease. You want to try and smother it first and foremost.
Rodrigue says if the grease fire is beyond what you should be trying to put out "just get everyone out of the house and call 911."
If you're frying your turkey outside, keep it away from any structures in the event a grease fire erupts, something that can happen if your turkey is not completely thawed of the fryer tips over.
Rodrigue says if you're going the frying route, "make sure the location that you choose is a good distance, five to ten feet away from any kind of structure or home; don't do that inside of your garage."
