Aromas of hamburgers, hot dogs and other typical cookout food will fill the air this weekend as people turn to their grills to help them celebrate Fourth of July.

The delicious smells and food will likely please all cookout attendees, but chefs and eaters alike need to take heed of several warnings before firing up the grill.

In 2006, a woman suffered severe burns and caused $125,000 of damage to her Casper home after her grill caught fire. She tried to use gasoline to light charcoal, said Bob Fawcett, fire prevention officer.

Even though a grill can spice up an evening and a meal, people need to remember simple cooking safety tips such as washing hands, said Dean Finkenbinder at the Wyoming Department of Agriculture.

Grilled food can still cause food-borne illnesses if not prepared properly, he said.

Fawcett and Finkenbinder offer these tips to ensure your hamburgers and hot dogs taste as good as they smell.

To prevent burns and fires:

Use only lighter fluid for charcoal grills - Do not use gasoline or any other accelerants.

Follow directions - All grills come with directions, Fawcett said.

Keep grill away from houses - It should be at least 15 feet from the house, Fawcett recommends. This might not always be possible with decks, but the grill should sit as far from the house as possible.

Check the grill if it falls over - With strong winds in Wyoming, this is especially important. Check all hoses and connections before lighting the grill again. An improper connection can start a fire.

Do not use grill in garage or under an awning - The enclosed space might fill with smoke or even carbon monoxide, Fawcett said.

Supervise children around a hot grill - Do not light the grill and walk away from it with children playing in the backyard, Fawcett said. They can be curious about the grill or even bump into it inadvertently.

To prevent food borne illness:

Wash hands with hot, soapy water

Thaw and marinate meat in refrigerator - Not on the counter or outside.

Use a thermometer to make sure food cooked - The grill will normally be hot enough to cook foods to proper temperatures, but if the grill is too hot it can burn the outside of the meat before it is cooked thoroughly on the inside, Finkenbinder said. Using other tests, such as waiting until juices are clear, can also be deceptive.

Clean utensils - The same plate used to transport raw meat to the grill should not be used for the cooked product. Use a clean plate.

Put leftovers away in refrigerator promptly - Leftover food should be refrigerated within one to two hours depending on outside temperature. Food left out longer should be thrown away, Finkenbinder said.

Contact health reporter Allison Rupp at (307) 266-0534 or allison.rupp@trib.com.