Clean Grill, Keep Lid Up: Fire Expert Offers Tips for a Safe Fourth of July

Original Airdate 7/1/2016

As July 4 approaches, a fire expert has offered some tips on how to keep you and your family safe.

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Vincent McManus, a fire marshal in Nassau County, N.Y., told Inside Edition that the biggest safety hazards he sees are with people operating grills. “You have to keep the lid up,” he said. “If you don't keep it up, the gas will build up and then when you light it, boom.”

He added, “Also make sure the grill is clean because old grease can catch fire.” McManus said it’s also important “to have a three-foot ring of safety.”

People have been severely burned using gas grills.

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Fireworks can also be dangerous. Thousands of people are seriously injured each year while handling the explosives.

In 2016, four people in the U.S. were killed by fireworks and 11,000 were injured, according to the Consumer Products Safety Commission.

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