ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico –

Many New Mexicans prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday, from visiting family in town to preparing dinner for Thanksgiving dinner.

As you prepare to prepare a turkey and all the trimmings, first responders ask you to keep a few things in mind.

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Due to several house and kitchen fires, the holiday is busy for firefighters across the country.

“So typically we increase staffing to make sure we’re ready to handle this,” said Matt Propp, chief of the Valencia County Fire Department.

Roasting a turkey is becoming increasingly popular, but it also poses great danger if not done correctly.

“Make sure your turkey is completely thawed. That doesn’t mean you take it out of the freezer tonight. That means it should have been out of the freezer earlier this week. Pat him down. Make sure it’s dry,” Propp said.

Then slowly drop it into the oil.

If the turkey is not completely thawed, a major fire can occur, burning everything nearby. Also consider where you plan to roast the turkey.

“Wooden decks are terrible for these things. What we recommend: Make sure your driveway, your concrete driveway is about three meters away from your house and that your vehicles are away from it. So if a fire does ignite, there will be limited containment. “It won’t spread to anything,” Propp said.

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Kitchen fires also often occur during the holidays. Fire officials want to remind New Mexicans to always set a reminder when cooking food on the stove or in the oven.

“Set a timer. Bring your laptop into the kitchen, watch YouTube, or whatever you’re doing. Stay present in the space you’re cooking in,” Propp said.

If a fire does break out in the kitchen, do not pour water on it. Grease fires and water do not mix. Instead, the water causes grease and flames to spread.

“The water will actually splash and carry the oil and fire into all areas of your kitchen,” Propp said. “If the fire looks large, your best bet is to just leave and call 911. We’re sending emergency services. We’ll take care of the fire. We don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

If the fire is small, officials recommend fighting the flames with a fire extinguisher. If none is available, you can smother the fire with baking soda.

“We want to break the chain that fire has. So we want to break through the oxygen. We want to break through the fuel, whatever we can, to sever the chain that starts the fire. So it’s suffocated.” “But there’s a risk of throwing a cotton towel into the fire,” Propp said.

He recommends always having a fire extinguisher at home.

Fire Safety reminds you to check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

“A burner goes out; only fuel comes through. Incomplete combustion can produce carbon monoxide in the home,” Propp said. “(They) should have done it when we changed the clocks. But if you haven’t, make sure your smoke alarm has batteries back. Make sure your carbon monoxide batteries are installed, that they are new and fresh.” “

This is also a time of year when firefighters are called out to unusual fires. Responders tend to see more fires originating from heat lamps, particularly in agricultural areas with pets and livestock.

“The intensity of these lamps can set a wooden porch on fire in a short period of time. And we probably see that two to three times a year when the cause of a structure fire is a heat lamp on a porch because we’re trying to keep puppies or kittens or something else warm,” Propp said.

If you use a heat lamp, he recommends placing it in a kennel, but avoid placing it on wooden porches.

Firefighters are also called to house fires caused by so-called “homemade heaters.”

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“What we would call homemade, like fireplaces. Chimneys are tested and certified for a reason, and that reason is to provide protection between your chimney pipe and any building material,” Propp said. “Installing a metal pipe through your roof where the metal pipe just touches it will cause a fire. We always say: make sure it is certified. Make sure it is done correctly. And again, the most important thing is to make sure the smoke detectors are active, because that’s always your first warning sign.“