US consumer safety authorities have warned Americans against deep frying whole turkeys this Thanksgiving to save houses from fire incidents.
The US Consumer Products Safety Commission shared a compilation of videos to warn against the consequences of cooking the bird using the popular frying technique.
The compilation of three videos shared by the safety commission shows hot oil pouring over and setting things in the vicinity of the cooking set up on fire. "Cook the turkey, not your home," it captioned the post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The video shows plumes of smoke erupting before the vessel filled with oil catches fire after the raw bird is dropped from above. The fire then spreads uncontrollably, often engulfing the entire room.
In one clip, a person is seen trying to douse the blaze with water, which instead results in the fire spreading all over the room.
"Fry your turkey safely. Stand by your pan," the safety commissions said, adding that "unattended cooking" was the major cause of home fires.
Dropping raw and unthawed turkey into a vessel of smoking hot oil is one of the common causes of house fires during the festive season.
Deep-frying the bird caused an average of five deaths, 60 injuries, and over $15m in property damage every year, Newsweek reported, citing the New York City Fire Department.
Around 1,600 fires, more than any other day of the year, have been reported annually on each Thanksgiving, the safety commission added.
"Every 6pm news broadcast in America should open with this video," it quipped. "Bird is huge and frozen. Oil is too high and too hot. Fryer is indoors or too close to the home...So don't do any of that."
The safety commission advised people to read the instructions available with the fryer and to follow them closely. "If you want to skip oil altogether, there are infrared turkey fryers. Whatever you use, never leave your food cooking unattended," it advised.
Americans should have a working fire extinguisher and smoke alarms while cooking, it added.
The Chicago Fire Department earlier this month demonstrated the dangers of dropping a frozen turkey into a fryer without taking precautions and urged Americans to do it safely.
“Never fry a turkey on your deck or in or near any structure such as a garage. Make sure your turkey is thawed and that the oil is at the appropriate temperature. Enjoy and stay safe," the department said.
