Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and most people are already busy prepping that turkey.

But before getting to work in the kitchen, the McAllen Fire Department has a word of warning if you're planning to fry your turkey this year.

Most fires around the holiday season start in the kitchen because someone left a dish unattended. So the main advice firefighters gave is to always keep an eye on anything on the stove.

Cooking up that turkey inside a fryer is a tradition that some people choose to do every year.

The National Fire Protection Association says last year, close to a thousand families lost their home due to a fire in Texas.

McAllen firefighters gave a demonstration at their fire training facility on how quickly a fire can start and get out of control when frying a turkey outdoors.

They say make sure the temperature of the cooking oil isn't too hot because it can overflow, make sure the fryer is at least 10 feet from your home or any other structures and finally place the fryer on a sturdy and level surface.

"Make sure you are in an area that is away from the house, at least 10 to 12 feet, alright? We don't want that in the garage or anywhere near the walls of your house. Especially if you want a flat surface," McAllen Fire Department Lt. Mark Zamora said.

The fire department says a fire can quickly ruin your holiday plans.

"There was this one Thanksgiving where there were about five fires of all turkeys and I felt so bad because it was an elderly lady who was cooking for her family. That was the turkey they were going to eat, and because of that fire, they could not have Thanksgiving," Zamora said.

So the best advice, if a fire breaks out, is to turn off the gas, remove the pan from the heat and smother the flames by covering the pan with a metal lid or sprinkle baking soda on small flames.

If there are any emergencies, make sure to get out of the kitchen and call 911.

After you're done cooking up that big meal, health experts say you need to make sure to properly store those leftovers in the fridge.

"But USDA does recommend that you keep your leftovers up to four days after, so that is Cyber Monday. Which is the Monday after, you should start thinking about what you want to do with those leftovers. That could be freezing them or just getting rid of what you don't want anymore," USDA Public Affairs Specialist Zoya Sattar said.

The USDA also has an online chart with instructions on how long you need to defrost and cook your turkey for. It all depends on the size of the bird and how much it weighs.

So be sure and check both of those before putting the big bird in oil.