Turkey fails that are very 2020: 87K birds explode ahead of holiday, Thanksgiving meal delivery troubles

Wyatte Grantham-Philips, USA TODAY
·4 min read

For some people, Thanksgiving dinner turned out like many things 2020: kind of a disaster.

Some California families woke up without grocery deliveries on Thursday. In Texas, 87,000 turkeys exploded in a fire before the holiday.

And the National Fire Protection Agency warned families to avoid setting their kitchens or deep fryers ablaze — as cooking fires are three times more likely on Thanksgiving than any other day of the year.

If your Thursday missed what was supposed to be the starring dish on your dinner table, you're not alone. Here's a look at some turkey troubles nationwide, this year and years past.

'The dishes can wait, but the food can’t': Waiting too long to put away your Thanksgiving leftovers can make you sick

Be honest about Thanksgiving's history: After a summer of racial reckoning, is America ready to learn the truth about Thanksgiving?

California store fails to deliver groceries

According to local media, several Bay Area families didn't receive their Thanksgiving groceries Thursday morning because a delivery service failed to deliver.

Good Eggs, a San Francisco-based delivery service, apologized on Twitter. The company announced it would issue refunds for cancelled and delayed orders and missing items.

Customers replied with their frustrating experiences waiting for their food to arrive.

"I am fully responsible for the results, the inadequate (communication) and the frustration," wrote CEO Bentley Hall on Twitter, adding that Good Eggs had an outage at its warehouse early Wednesday. "We are devastated that we let some of you down. We will do everything we can to make it right."

87,000 turkeys explode in fire

On Nov. 6, a fire and at least two explosions destroyed part of Greenberg Smoked Turkey Inc.'s shipping facility in Tyler, Texas, local media reported.

A freezer holding 87,000 turkeys exploded and burned nearby equipment. No one was injured, but the company was forced to shut down for the rest of 2020 — including the Thanksgiving holiday.

According to the Dallas Morning News, the 82-year-old business sells about 200,000 smoked turkeys every holiday season. Greenberg Smoked Turkeys has made Oprah Winfrey's yearly "Oprah's Favorite Things" list twice.

"We are refunding all orders set to deliver after November 6th, and are deeply sorry for any inconvenience this may cause," owner Sam Greenberg wrote on Facebook. "We are grateful to have the best customers in the world, and are proud to have been a part of your holiday tradition for so many years. Please invite us back to your table next year!"

Greenberg Smoked Turkeys announced Wednesday that the company will break ground for a facility on Monday, and it's accepting orders for 2021.

Frozen turkeys rain from interstate in Indiana

About a month before Thanksgiving, , a truckload of frozen turkeys rained down onto a parking lot just below Interstate 65 in Indianapolis.

Crews cleaned up the turkey and other debris after the crash.

No one was injured when the truck driver lost control and broke through a concrete barrier in the early morning, Indiana State Police spokesman Sgt. John Perrine said.

Scary cooking experiences

And finally, these #turkeyfail posts (and warnings) over the years show the challenges in roasting the holiday bird.

Contributing: Vic Ryckaert, Indianapolis Star.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Thanksgiving 2020: Delivery problems, 87,000 turkeys explode in fire

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Alison Hammond gives dog a make over on For The Love Of Dogs

    The dog show's new host said the change in the furry pooch was like a This Morning make over.

  • IBM nears acquisition of cloud provider HashiCorp: WSJ

    According to the Wall Street Journal, IBM (IBM) is reportedly in advanced stages of negotiations to acquire HashiCorp (HCP), a prominent cloud software provider. HashiCorp specializes in offering solutions that help companies manage their cloud infrastructure. Market Domination Co-Hosts Jared Blikre and Julie Hyman break down the details. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Market Domination. This post was written by Angel Smith

  • Haiti's government scrambles to impose tight security measures as council inauguration imminent

    PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Armored vehicles roll slowly past Haiti’s National Palace as police scan the horizon for gangs. Gangs control most of the territory that surrounds the palace, but a transitional council charged with selecting a new prime minister and Cabinet for Haiti is demanding that its members be sworn in at the palace. The ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday even as officials scramble to impose tight security measures, according to two high-ranking regional officials with knowledge of the matter who asked that their names be withheld because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

  • Halifax police confirm name of 16-year-old homicide victim and release two suspects

    Halifax Regional Police have released the name of a 16-year-old boy whose death on Monday was deemed a homicide. They issued a statement today saying Ahmad Maher Al Marrach was found badly injured in a parking lot next to the Halifax Shopping Centre around 5 p.m. and died later in hospital. About 20 minutes after the victim was found, two youths were arrested aboard a Halifax Transit bus. But police say they were released from custody without charges earlier today. Police have yet to say how the

  • WeWork founder Neumann wants bankruptcy court's help in bid to repurchase company

    WeWork founder Adam Neumann has asked a U.S. bankruptcy judge to help his bid to re-acquire the coworking business, saying Monday that WeWork's management should engage in talks or be forced to cede control of the company's restructuring. Neumann's new real estate company, Flow Global, has sought to buy WeWork out of bankruptcy, recently offering over $500 million.

  • Ukraine suspends overseas consular services for military-age men

    Ukraine authorities on Tuesday suspended consular services for men of fighting age living abroad, after announcing measures to bring them home amid manpower shortages in the army fighting Russia. Ukraine's army has been struggling to hold frontlines, partly due to a lack of soldiers over two years into Russia's invasion. Ukraine's foreign affairs ministry "announced a temporary suspension of accepting new applications for consular services" for men between 18 and 60. It made an exception for doc

  • Columbia University extends remote learning amid Gaza war protests

    The hybrid learning comes amid reports of antisemitic harassment around Columbia University.

  • WNBA's Kelsey Plum, NFL TE Darren Waller file for divorce after one-year of marriage

    WNBA All-Star Kelsey Plum, a two-time champion with the Las Vegas Aces, and New York Giants tight end Darren Waller are ending their marriage.

  • Falcons' draft won't be impacted by NFL's investigation of possible tampering violation with Cousins

    FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — The NFL's investigation of the Atlanta Falcons' possible violation of tampering policies before signing quarterback Kirk Cousins won't conclude before this week's NFL draft. For Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot, that means the team won't lose any draft picks this year as he looks to build around Cousins. “The league has been very communicative with us and throughout the whole process,” Fontenot said Tuesday when previewing the draft. “I really appreciate them. We

  • Officials identify Idaho man who was killed by police after fatal shooting of deputy

    Officials have released the name of the Idaho man who was killed last weekend after being identified as the suspect in the fatal shooting of a sheriff's deputy, and Boise police officers are asking the public for more information about him. Dennis Mulqueen, 65, of Boise, died of a gunshot wound early Sunday morning, the Ada County Coroner said. Mulqueen was suspected in the killing of Ada County Sheriff's Deputy Tobin Bolter during a Saturday night traffic stop, according to police.

  • Kourtney Kardashian Watches Fireworks with Baby Son Rocky and Husband Travis Barker in Adorable New Photo

    The reality TV star and Blink-182 drummer welcomed their 5-month-old son in November

  • What to expect as The Messi Experience exhibit kicks off world tour Thursday in Miami

    Visitors will get to experience what it would feel like to train with and get a selfie with Lionel Messi.

  • B.C. to increase local milk production with $25-million factory investment

    ABBOTSFORD, B.C. — The British Columbia government is contributing up to $25 million toward the expansion of a milk production plant aimed at boosting the supply of locally sourced food. The province said the construction expansion to Vitalus Nutrition's plant in Abbotsford, B.C., will begin this summer and will increase local milk production by 50 per cent, to 1.4 billion litres annually. The project will boost local production for dairy products such as butter, which is currently required to b

  • Josh Hartnett Is Having a Moment: Check Out 4 of His Hottest “Teen People” covers and His Adorably Awkward Quotes

    The actor starred in last year's 'Oppenheimer' and will lead M. Night Shyamalan's upcoming thriller, 'Trap'

  • Michigan student dies 'suddenly' on school trip to robotics competition in Texas

    Lake Orion High's robotics team was attending the FIRSTS robotics world championships in Houston. The student "suddenly passed away" the school said.

  • ‘Mishandled.’ Top Missouri Republican attempts to discredit ethics investigation

    “To take seven months to get to the unlawful and circus-like events of April 15, is quite unbelievable,” the top Republican’s attorneys wrote in a letter to the chair of the House Ethics Committee.

  • Grandma Delighted When Grandson Makes a Surprise Visit

    A grandmother was overjoyed when her grandson made a surprise visit to her Saint Lucia home on Wednesday, March 6, footage shows.Footage posted to TikTok by Torri Rodney shows the moment Rodney surprises his grandmother, Veronica, at her home in Castries. Veronica, who was on the phone at the time, is heard saying goodbye to the person she was talking to before abruptly hanging up and embracing Rodney.Rodney told Storyful that he moved from New York to Atlanta for college and was not able to visit Saint Lucia as often as he used to.“I graduated college in 2023 and she was not able to make it because of age so this was her first time seeing me in person for over a year,” Rodney told Storyful. Credit: Torri Rodney via Storyful

  • England will 'thrive' off being 'booed' in France

    Alex Matthews says England will "thrive" off the expected fierce atmosphere in their Women's Six Nations Grand Slam decider in France on Saturday.

  • Sports Power Couple Kelsey Plum and Darren Waller Headed for Divorce in Nasty Split

    Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesWNBA star Kelsey Plum and New York Giants tight end Darren Waller have filed for divorce after one year of marriage, according to Clark County court records.The Las Vegas Aces point guard, 29, and the pro footballer, 31, filed a joint petition for divorce on Tuesday. The split came a little more than a year after they first tied the knot in March 2023. Plum had posted a somber Instagram story hinting that the marriage was over on Tuesday morning.“I’m devastated. I walked

  • Car covered in spaghetti as road rage turns messy, Indiana cops say. Woman arrested

    The pregnant woman and her vehicle were covered in spaghetti when officers arrived, police told news outlets.