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

A fire expert offers Inside Edition some tips on how to stay safe over the holiday weekend.

As the July 4 holiday weekend 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, New York, 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.”

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People have been severely burned using gas grills. ESPN sportscaster Hannah Storm was severely burned when she lit a gas grill in her backyard.

Fireworks can also be dangerous. Thousands of people are seriously injured each year while handling the explosives. In 2014, 11 people in the U.S. were killed.

July 4 will mark one year since New York Giants Defensive Jason Pierre-Paul lost a good part of his hand.

He said at the time, “I held on to the firework too long.”

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