Mary Alice Reporting – As grilling season kicks into gear, a local fire department asks folks to be fire safe.
Accounting for 18 percent of grill fires, July is the peak month followed by June, May, and August, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
New Philadelphia Fire Captain Matt Graham says safety tips for getting out the BBQ is to utilize them outdoors and away from any overhanging branch, a home’s siding, or porch railing.
“You usually have high winds and low humidity and then there’s a lot of leftover dead grass and leaves from last fall before the new vegetation starts to grow.”
Residents are also reminded that a statewide burn ban remains effective until the end of this month and it prohibits outdoor open burning between the hours of 6 am and 6 pm.
“Make sure you inspect them before you start to use them that they’re working properly to alleviate those potential hazardous also. You haven’t used them for one year, things wear out, components of the grill wear out, so it’s good to inspect them before you just light them and make sure they’re turned off.”
NFPA data indicates that, on average, 10,600 home fires are started due to grills each year and that gas grills have more fire incidents than charcoal grills.
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