Orlando Fire Department warns of the dangers of improperly frying a turkey ahead of Thanksgiving

ORLANDO, Fla. - Thanksgiving is right around the corner and the Orange County Fire Department is warning once again about the dangers of frying a turkey incorrectly. 

Firefighters placed a turkey into an oil fryer to show what can happen when a frozen turkey is placed into scorching hot oil. 

When the turkey was placed in the pot the hot oil immediately spilled over and caught fire. 

Fire Marshal William Farhat provided some tips on how to prepare a fried turkey safely, "once you have thawed your turkey properly, got the oil to the right temperature, you know wear protective clothing if you can, wear oven mitts, at the very least do that. If you can, put it in from a distance, do that".

The department provides this warning because cooking fires are the leading cause of home fires and fire-related injuries in the U.S.