Salisbury Fire Dept. Warns Residents of Holiday Fire Hazards

SALISBURY, Md. — The Salisbury Fire Department is warning community members about common holiday fire hazards. The department hosted a fire demonstration at Station 16 on Friday morning, showing how quickly an overfilled turkey fryer or a dried-out Christmas tree can go up in flames.

With the holiday season comes an uptick in fire hazards, and the Salisbury Fire Department is urging residents to be cautious this year.

“On Thanksgiving Day, our call volume almost doubles with the amount of calls we respond to for cooking fires,” Salisbury Fire Marshal Eric Cramer said.

Frying your Thanksgiving turkey can be delicious, but one wrong move could start a fire. Officials advise families to avoid overheating or overfilling the grease.

“When you put the bird in and it overflows, the open flame can immediately ignite the hot grease. Or, if the turkey isn’t fully thawed or has water on it, the grease will create spontaneous combustion,” Salisbury Fire Chief Rob Frampton said.

For those bringing home this year’s Christmas trees, remember to keep it hydrated. Otherwise, you could face a serious fire hazard.

“There’s usually always some sort of Christmas tree fire across the state that unfortunately has catastrophic results,” Chief Frampton said. “Don’t leave it up two weeks after Christmas and stop watering it. That’s usually when the problems occur.”

Officials also advise community members to keep a close eye on their electric Christmas lights and decorations. “You’ve got to pay attention to the decorations you’re putting on it. You don’t want to use old electric decorations that may be past their prime,” Cramer said.