Turkey fryer fire claims camper

A turkey fryer fire claimed a camper in Great Falls on Thanksgiving.

Bob Shupe, battalion chief for Great Falls Fire Rescue, wasn’t surprised one of the fryer’s caused another fire.

“They’re very dangerous,” Shupe said.

There is no room for error in using the appliances, he said.

“If everything isn’t perfect, they can be catastrophic,” he said.

The fire occurred on the 2800 block of 6th Avenue South at about 4:15 p.m. Thursday.

Firefighters said the turkey was being cooked between a camper and a garage.

The camper was a total loss, and the garage sustained minor damage.

“It seems like every year we have an unfortunate incident,” Shupe said.

When fryers are used to deep-fry a turkey, oil levels that are too high can combine with moisture in the bird to to spark fires, Shupe said.

In many cases, people put the fryer in a garage with the door open or on a deck, and a fire starts.

Grease fires are very difficult to put out, he added.

Cooking is by far the leading cause of all Thanksgiving Day fires in residential buildings at 72 percent, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.

And cooking fires in residential buildings occurred more often on Thanksgiving Day than any other day of the year, the fire administration says.