MACON, Ga. — If you haven't already started unthawing your Thanksgiving turkey, Bibb County Fire Safety officials say you should start.
Fire Safety Education Officer, Jeremy Webb, says around Thanksgiving they see a big increase in cooking fires.
Tuesday afternoon, the Macon Bibb Fire Department held a live turkey frying demo. They placed a frozen turkey into a tub of hot grease, which ended in a big fire.
Now, they're sharing tips that will help you keep your home safe.
Webb says you should fry your turkey outside, at least 10 feet from your home. He says you shouldn't do it on your back porch or in your garage.
He says one of the biggest dangers is cooking a turkey that is still frozen
"It takes days, days, and days, to thaw out a turkey," says Webb.
He says you should look at the manufactures' recommendations to see how long your turkey takes to unthaw. Webb says it will not unthaw within one day.
The other big danger comes when you overfill your grease pot.
"Most turkey frying pots have a fill line, you don't want to go over that line," he says.
Before you fill up your pot, he says you want to check your lines.
"When hooking up your propane tanks make sure there are no leaks. Check your lines with soap and water. Spray your lines, your hoses. Make sure they aren't cracked or dry rotted. Make sure they aren't leaking propane," he adds.
Once, you're ready to cook he says to submerge the turkey slowly, and to keep a close eye on it.
In the case of an accident, he reminds everyone that grease and water don't mix.
"If you do have a fire, you can't put water on a grease fire," says Webb.
He says you should keep a multi-purpose fire extinguisher on standby, and make sure your fire alarms are working. He also encourages everyone to have your emergency escape plan ready before you start cooking.
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