Staff Reports
Florida’s Orange County fire department posted a blunt demonstration this week to remind hardworking Americans what common sense already tells us: dropping a frozen turkey into a vat of scorching oil is a recipe for disaster. The short video shows a firefighter lowering a frozen bird into hot oil and, in seconds, a wall of flame shoots skyward — the very spectacle that sends crews running on Thanksgiving.
The reason this looks like an explosion is physical, not mystical: ice and trapped water in a frozen bird instantly flash to steam when they hit searing oil, expanding many times over and forcing oil out of the pot where it can ignite. That’s the simple science firefighters and safety officials keep repeating to people who think shortcuts are clever.
This isn’t a one-off stunt for clicks — fire departments from around the country routinely stage controlled demonstrations to show what happens when people ignore basic precautions. Those demonstrations are a public service, and they underscore a truth conservatives know well: freedom comes with responsibility, and reckless behavior risks your family and your property.
The numbers back it up: holiday cooking mistakes cost lives, cause injuries, and torch homes every year. Professional warnings about turkey fryers are not bureaucratic scolds; they’re practical guidance to keep folks out of burn units and keep volunteer and career firefighters from spending Thanksgiving night fighting fires that never needed to happen.
If you insist on frying your bird, do the job like a responsible adult — fully thaw and dry the turkey, set the oil to the proper temperature, use the correct oil level, and operate the fryer outdoors well away from your house. Don’t be the person who posts the viral fail: a little patience and preparation protects your roof, your car, and your family’s holiday.
We should applaud firefighters who make blunt, visual demonstrations instead of sugarcoating the danger. At the same time, Americans don’t need another regulation to tell them to act like adults; they need to exercise basic prudence and personal accountability — the same values that built this country and keep our communities safe.
So this Thanksgiving, show gratitude by using your head: read the instructions that come with the fryer, keep kids and pets well away, and if you don’t want the responsibility, buy your bird pre-cooked. Protect your family, respect the men and women who respond to preventable emergencies, and keep the holiday about thanks — not hospital visits.
