PSA issued ahead of Thanksgiving warning about dangers of deep-frying turkeys

It's Thanksgiving, which means millions of Americans will be tucking into some turkey.

But while in the UK we don't issue warnings about deep-frying turkeys at Christmas, in the US, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has deemed it necessary.

Watch the public service announcement here:

In the video - which is inexplicably set to a pumping club banger - turkeys can be seen being lowered into fat fryers, which overflow and cause enormous blazes.

Indeed, on Thanksgiving, the US has more fires caused by home cooking than any other day of the year.

As such, if people insist on deep frying their turkeys, they've been urged to only do so away from their homes, and 'never use turkey fryers in the garage or on the porch'.

It's also important to ensure the turkey is thawed and follow the manufacturer instructions for the fryer.

US CPSC

The CPSC said: "Cooking fires remain the #1 cause of residential fires.

"CPSC data show that there are about 360,300 home fires per year, leading to nearly 2,400 deaths and about 10,900 injuries each year. Of these, an estimated 165,600 are cooking fires, leading to an estimated 200 deaths and 3,200 injuries annually.

"An average of 1,600 cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving Day each year, more than three times the average number of daily cooking fires throughout the year.

"Turkey fryers create particular risks. Since 2000, CPSC is aware of 217 fire or scald/burn incidents involving turkey fryers, resulting in 83 injuries and $9.5 million in property loss."

However, while frying turkeys does present a safety risk, the CPSC was keen to highlight that they are not the number one danger. Rather, the number one fire threat could get the better of anyone, no matter how they're cooking their turkey.

Glynn / Stockimo / Alamy Stock Photo

The CPSC said: "Tomorrow there will be 3x more home fires in the United States than any other day of the year. Turkey fryers will not be the primary cause.

"No. Unattended cooking is the #1 cause of home fires. What causes unattended cooking? Dozens of normal things...

"A relative breaks something in the other room and now you need to see what happened. Your young child shouts that they need help. A neighbour shows up to drop off a gift and you talk for longer than you expected.

"Every year, we trot out the turkey fryer because it is a uniquely dangerous cooking device that commands a lot of respect and attention to use safely, but your home is much more likely to catch fire tomorrow because you left something cooking on top of the stove and walked away."

So keep your eyes on the prize - especially if it fries.

Topics: US News, Food And Drink

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey