SAN ANTONIO – As families prepare to cook for Thanksgiving, San Antonio locals and fire officials are offering tips for safety in the kitchen.
San Antonio Fire Department officials said most holiday accidents are predictable and preventable.
“A lot of times the fires we see are unattended cooking in the kitchen,” said Joe Arrington, SAFD public information officer. “We see fires related to beans on the pot left unattended, accidental things getting knocked over, things burning inside an oven.”
Angela and Robert Saldana said their family divides kitchen duties to keep things running smoothly.
“My dad does the turkey, my mother does the stuffing and everyone kind of has their own part, so nobody crosses that line, at least in our kitchen,” Robert Saldana said.
Happie Wedzina said she purchased a fire blanket in case of an emergency. Laurie Zapata warned against deep frying turkeys at home.
“Don’t ever deep fry a turkey anywhere. I’m terrified of that happening,” Zapata said.
Cooking Thanksgiving turkeys
If you plan to deep fry a turkey this year, make sure it’s completely thawed and dry before placing it in the oil. Never leave it unattended.
“Keep kids, keep pets away from it,” Arrington said. “If it does catch on fire, make sure you have that extinguisher close by. Don’t use water to put out a grease fire. It’s not a good combination.”
Arrington said SAFD hardly sees fires from frying turkeys.
“Whether it’s a good thing or not, we kind of know how to fry things here,” Arrington said. “So we don’t see a lot of these. We do see them occasionally. It’s been years.”
Whether you’re hosting Thanksgiving for the first time or are a seasoned pro, it’s better to be safe than sorry and be cautious.
“Everybody just wants to make sure that you stay safe, as far with the knives, no kids around, you want to stay prepared for what could possibly happen on a busy day like that,” Robert Saldana said.
Arrington said even when there are a lot of cooks in the kitchen, slow down so you don’t forget what’s cooking.
“We want everyone to be safe and have a great Thanksgiving spent with their loved ones and their family and friends, but take that second to remember what’s in or on the stove and just be safe,” Arrington said.
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