Each year, grilling accidents are the cause of nearly 9,000 house fires and 16,000 emergency room visits according to the National Fire Protection Association.
Memorial Day weekend is often described as the start of the summer grilling season, and Hall County Fire Services Captain Zachary Brackett believes this weekend in particular will see more fires started by grills than most.
"We run in to an increase in a number of instances started by grills. You should make sure you place a grill well away from the home, deck railings, out from underneath eaves and away from any vinyl sidings," said Brackett.
Brackett says while grill fires can start for a variety of reasons, there is one in particular that causes the majority of them.
"The major cause of grill fires is a failure to clean it after use. Continuing to use the grill without cleaning it, builds up grease and other by products overtime which leads to a grease fire inside the grill. That can bring your grill temperature to 1000 degrees, which makes it more likely to ignite the structural members of a home."
Along with the fire dangers of grilling comes the threat of injury as well if safety measures are not taken.
Dr. Tawanna Strauther, a family physician with the Northeast Georgia Physicians Group in Oakwood, says her office sees more burn injuries during the summer.
If you do get burned by a grill, as long as the skin is not blistered , most injuries can be treated at home much like a sunburn.
"If a burn is superficial and the skin is simply reddened with some level of discomfort, it can be treated at home with cool compresses and soothing agents such as aloe vera gel," Tawanna said.
"If a burn is more extensive with blistering or covering a larger area of skin, an individual needs to seek emergency medical care."
The National Fire Protection Association says the United States averages 10 civilian deaths annually because of grilling accidents, 160 reported civilian injuries, and $118 million in direct property damage.
