KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and a tradition in many households involves dipping turkeys in vats of hot oil. For most people, it can be a delicious way to cook the bird. For others, it can be devastating.
There are several mistakes people can make while deep frying turkeys, such as overfilling their pots or dunking in a frozen bird. The mistakes can result in a fireball erupting — potentially catching homes on fire and causing families to flee for safety.
Jeff Bagwell, with Rural Metro Fire, said anyone planning to deep fry a turkey should make sure the oil is up to 350 degrees hot, and the turkey needs to be completely thawed. He also said deep fryers should have a mark inside to show people how much oil they should put in.
"We don't want to overfill it with oil because, you have to remember, when you drop the bird in that oil is going to be displaced and could overflow onto the burner below, catching it on fire. And most importantly, we want you to do this out in an opening — in a driveway, clearly away from your house," he said.
Rural Metro also gave a demonstration Tuesday to show what could happen if people improperly fry their turkeys. Almost immediately after dunking the bird into an overfilled pot, the deep fryer overflows and fire ignites.
"We'd love for you to invite the fire department to your turkey dinner, but not that way," Bagwell said in a video of the demonstration.