MCCANDLESS, Pa. — It’s getting colder out, which means more families are warming up their homes. But with higher prices for electricity and natural gas, people are trying to find ways to cut back on those heating costs this winter, like using the fireplace.
“Just in the last two weeks we’ve responded to two fireplace fires where the fire originated in the chimney,” said Jeff Wissner, the McCandless fire marshal.
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Wissner said they were able to put out those fires quickly, but he wants to remind people to make sure their chimneys are cleaned before they light a fire to prevent this from happening.
At Ace Hardware in Wexford, the owner said they’ve been very busy selling firewood.
“It’s selling like crazy,” said Lori Luitgaarden, the owner of Ace Hardware Wexford. “People are coming in earlier to buy their firewood. They are buying more each time they come in as well.”
She expects the demand to increase as it gets colder, so they are trying to stock up.
“We get a couple trucks a week. We source as many as we can to make sure we can satisfy our customers,” said Luitgaarden.
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According to the National Fire Protection Association, one of the leading causes of house fires is heaters. The fire marshal explained why kerosene heaters can easily start a fire.
“That is dangerous. You want to keep a heater a minimum of 3 feet away from everything. You have to make sure not to put gasoline in that kerosene heater,” said Wissner.
Another dangerous way to heat up your home is using your oven. The fire marshal said turn down your thermostat instead and wear extra layers if you’re trying to save money. He also stressed the importance of having working smoke detectors.
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