Thanksgiving is a day where families come together to enjoy each other’s company and a good meal together. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes and many other hearty dishes cover the tables of millions of Americans each year.

While the turkey often spends hours roasting in a hot oven, some families opt to deep fry their bird for a faster cook and a different flavor.

Many fire safety experts say that deep-frying a turkey in hot cooking oil could be very dangerous.

The Fort Dodge Fire Department hasn’t had to respond to any deep-fryer turkey fires that Chief Steve Hergenreter remembers.

“We see them every year around the state and around the country, but we’ve been fortunate here in Fort Dodge not to have one, but they’re not uncommon,” he said.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, Thanksgiving Day is the leading day of the year for home cooking fires. On Thanksgiving Day 2019 alone, an estimated 1,400 home cooking fires were reported to U.S. fire departments, reflecting a 228 percent increase over the daily average.

Deep fryer fires are possibly the most dangerous of those home cooking fires. According to the NFPA, deep fryer fires cause an average of five deaths, 60 injuries and more than $15 million in property damage each year.

Many Thanksgiving deep fryer fires are caused by the hot cooking oil overflowing from the fire when the turkey is lowered in to cook. It’s important to factor in the volume displacement of the turkey before lowering it into the oil, Hergenreter said.

Hot cooking oil is equal to gasoline in terms of fuel for a fire, Hergenreter said.

“They’re very violent fires, so typically the person putting the turkey in ends up with injuries too,” he said. “It’s dangerous.”

Turkey fryers can also tip over easily, so they should be set up outside on flat, even ground. When the weather is bad, some cooks may feel the need to set up the fryer in a garage or under an open structure, which is extremely dangerous and could lead to an even bigger fire, Hergenreter said.

Fortunately, central Iowa is looking at some fairly nice weather on Thursday, so cooks should be less tempted to try to move the fryer into a garage.

The NFPA also warns that partially frozen turkeys can also cause hot cooking oil to splatter, which could also start a fire. The organization recommends cooks keep turkey fryers at least 10 feet away from all structures and continually monitor the oil temperature so it does not overheat to the point of starting a fire.

If a fire does break out while frying a turkey, Hergenreter said there’s not much that can be done other than getting as far away from the fire as possible and to call the Fire Department to come take care of it. If a dry chemical extinguisher is nearby, that can help suppress the fire until the Fire Department arrives.

“Don’t put water on it, because that makes it worse,” Hergenreter said. “You’ll just have to get back and call 911.”