Thanksgiving may be a day for feasting with family and friends. But it also proves to be a particularly dangerous occasion, especially because of cooking-related accidents.
One of the key culprits? The increasingly popular ritual of frying your holiday turkey.
The Insurance Information Institute reports that “Thanksgiving Day is the peak day for fires caused by cooking,” with roughly 1,000 home fires occurring on the holiday annually. It also notes that fires related to turkey fryers are responsible for five deaths, 60 injuries and more than $15 million in property damage each year. Obviously, people can fry a turkey at any time of the year, but Thanksgiving has naturally become a big occasion to utilize this cooking method. The method has its roots in Cajun country, but it started spreading across the country in the mid-’90s and became particularly connected with Thanksgiving, according to a historical account by Vogue.