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'This Is Us' episode ignites a social media storm against Crock-Pot

Posted at 12:21 PM, Jan 26, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-26 13:21:59-05

If you are a fan of the hit NBC show "This is Us" and have not seen last Tuesday's episode, you may want to stop reading (Warning: Spoilers ahead).

If you follow the show, you know the lead character Jack dies. For a while now, it was known he died in a fire. Now it appears it all started with a slow cooker. 

After the episode aired this week, Crock-Pot stocks plunged and it started trending on social media for all the wrong reasons.   

People hit Twitter hard following the episode Wednesday night. Crock-Pot even created its own Twitter account to respond.

Crock-Pot's parent company, Newell Brands put out a similar statement, "...We want consumers first and foremost to know they are safe when using their Crock-Pot".

North Shore Fire Department Community Relations Officer Dave Glanz said a slow cooker fire is possible—as with any appliance—but rare.

"It is tested so this should not catch on fire but as a good rule of thumb as a good safety precaution we call it a 3-foot rule. Make sure you don't have things of this nature," said Glanz holding up a towel and napkin.

In the episode, a dish towel was left next to the slow cooker. The fire department said having a crack in your appliance or a problematic cord could also be an issue.

"I have seen fires in my career where these have been frayed or cut," Glanz said.