Paso Robles Fire and Emergency Services has responded to 11 cooking fires so far this year — two more than during all of last year.
“This is the time of the year where we get the most kitchen fires or house fires, and it's mostly because of complacency when it comes to cooking," said Fire Captain/Paramedic John Prickett.
Capt. Prickett says people who leave the kitchen or even the house while cooking create a fire risk and if you need to leave the house, have someone be on watch duty or turn off all heated appliances.
“Children love to play in the house," Prickett added. "Sometimes they like to play in the kitchen. Well, that's not the most conducive place to play. We need people to realize that there's a lot of dangers associated with kitchen safety and that we encourage that they be a three-foot distance away from any cooking surfaces for kids to stay safe.”
With long-handled utensils or pans, be sure to turn those handles away from the edge so a child doesn't tip it, causing burning food to fall onto them. When a grease fire occurs, be sure to use a fire extinguisher or another tool Prickett recommends.
“The easiest thing to do is to do what's called glide and slide," Prickett explained. "So keeping your handle close by or your pot cover close by with the oven mitt and taking that and sliding that over the top of the pot to go ahead and smother it and take the oxygen away from the fire. And that puts the fire out.”
If you plan on deep frying your turkey this holiday season, there are other precautions you must take.
Augusta, Georgia native and Templeton resident Michael Bertzfield says he’s been deep frying his Thanksgiving turkeys for years and always follows the recommended safety tips.
“Make sure your turkey is always fully thawed out, that it's never frozen," Bertzfield said. "Whenever you try to fry it, make sure it's completely dried off of all water or anything like that because it'll make the oil splatter.”
Bertzfield also said when deep frying your turkey, be sure to fill up the oil between the min and max line on your fryer so the oil doesn’t boil over.
“The whole reason for people doing a deep-fried turkey is because it cooks way faster," Bertzfield said. "So with a deep-fried turkey, you can expect it to be done in about 45 to 50 minutes compared to 3 to 4 hours”
If you are traveling this holiday season, San Luis Obispo CHP Officer Willoughby says to always be aware of your surroundings and if you are drinking with family, have a designated driver or stay put where you are.
Once Thanksgiving wraps up, and it’s time to put up your Christmas tree, Capt. Prickett also recommends watering your tree daily as dry Christmas trees are a significant fire hazard, especially when hanging electric lights on them.
