Florida among top fryer fire states
Nov 16, 2011
The following article was published in the Orlando Business Journal on November 16, 2011:
Florida among top fryer fire states
A report from State Farm Insurance puts Florida among the top 10 states for cooking fires on Thanksgiving Day. The agency said more cooking fires occur on that date than any other, with grease and cooking-related claims more than doubling compared to an average November day.
With the increased popularity of turkey frying, more people than ever are at risk for fryer-related fires and injuries. U.S. fire departments respond to more than 1,000 fires each year involving a deep fryer. The National Fire Protection Association says deep fryer fires cause more than $15 million in property damage each year. Hot oil splatter can cause serious burns to an adult or life-threatening injuries to a child.
Here are State Farm’s top 10 states for grease and cooking-related claims on Thanksgiving Day:
- Texas, 36
- Illinois, 24
- Ohio, 21
- New York, 17
- Pennsylvania, 17
- Michigan, 15
- Florida, 14
- Minnesota, 14
- Indiana, 13
- Louisiana, 12
Here are some tips for preventing turkey fryer fires:
- Cook outdoors at a safe distance from buildings or trees, and keep the fryer off wooden structures, such as a deck.
- Avoid a hot-oil spillover by filling the pot with cold oil, then lowering the thawed turkey into the pot to determine how much oil should be added or removed.
- Shut off the fuel source or flame when adding the turkey to the hot oil to prevent a dangerous flare-up if oil does spill over the rim.
- Make sure your turkey is properly thawed before lowering it slowly into the pot.
- Never leave a hot turkey fryer unattended.
- Do not use ice or water to cool down oil or extinguish an oil fire.
- Keep an extinguisher approved for cooking or grease fires nearby.
To warn people about the dangers of turkey fryers, State Farm has teamed up with actor William Shatner to produce a short video dramatizing an actual accident where the actor was burned in a turkey fryer mishap on Thanksgiving.
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