You probably wouldn't think so, but fire officials say the Thanksgiving holiday produces a huge spike in fires, burns, and other cooking related accidents! And to help illustrate, we've got William Shatner in a video about fryer safety, courtesy of State Farm!

According to the Oregon State Fire Marshall,  since 2008, there have been over 3,160 Thanksgiving-related cooking incidents in that state, resulting in 219 injuries, and $32 million dollars in property loss!   That averages about 900 fires a year!

Most of them result from improper use of turkey fryers.   There are a number of fires that result from ovens, and injuries often occur to children who are in and around the cooking area.   But the most devastating incidents involve the fryers.  From the Oregon Fire Marshall's release this week:

"If you're cooking your turkey in a deep fat fryer, always do it outdoors a safe distance from buildings and any other flammable material, and never leave it unattended," advises State Fire Marshal Mark Wallace. "Hot oil is extremely dangerous, so never use turkey fryers on a wooden deck or in your garage."

One of the biggest safety tips when using a fryer is to make sure your turkey is completely thawed,  a frozen or partially frozen turkey can cause the hot oil to bubble up, overflow or even explode and shower everywhere.

While these are becoming a more popular method of cooking the turkey, so many incidents have occurred that the Washington State fire Marshall has also issued a release.

According to State Farm, and the website propertycasualty360.com,   Texas had the most turkey fryer fires in 2012.  There were 19 that resulted in some sort of total loss insurance claim, to either a home or other major building!  Illinois was second, with 17. None of our Northwest states made the top ten, but the previous statistics in this story show the fires do happen.

So be careful this year, because you don't want to be a part of the statistical data for next year!

Check out this hilarious video with William Shatner, about the need for turkey fryer safety, courtesy of State Farm Insurance.

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