PITTSBURG, Kan.–Pittsburg Fire Chief Dennis Reilly is no stranger to disaster, especially around Thanksgiving.

“Historically, over the course of time, several years, we do see some incidents happen right around thanksgiving holiday.”

With all of the possibilities for disaster on thanksgiving, the Reilly has some advice so your thanksgiving dinner doesn’t go up in flames.

He says not to use this day to try anything new in the kitchen.

“Couple of things we recommend is number one, stay within your skills. So if you have not made a big thanksgiving meal before,  don’t let today be the day that you try to do that so people can get overwhelmed. You get a lot of things on the stove, they get in a hurry. then all of a sudden they throw a dish towel down on a hot burner because they’ve got so much going on, they’re just not used to doing that.”

Another thing that can cause fires is a buildup of grease, so make sure to keep your stove and oven clean.

“A lot of times grease and food byproducts over the course of time fall on the bottom of the stove. Then all of a sudden you put a big turkey in there and a whole bunch of other stuff. Something spills out and hits the burner that starts a fire, so we recommend making sure your stove is clean.”

Most importantly, Reilly says to call 911 as soon you see a fire.

“Homeowners try to take action on their own. They get into a situation where there’s too much for them to handle. And then you call the fire department and fire grows exponentially. So if there’s any concern whatsoever, call the fire department first.”

The Pittsburg Fire Department will be working Thanksgiving and says to not hesitate to call should any emergencies arise.

COPYRIGHT 2021 BY KOAM NEWS NOW. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.