FAIRFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Fort Palmer Presbyterian Church sits right off Route 711 in Fairfield Township, Westmoreland County.
It’s rural, but this stretch of state road is fairly busy.
Sometime last week, somebody managed to siphon heating oil out of the church’s tank underground, leaving the church empty — out of heat and out of money.
Rod James is an elder at the church and got a call from the church treasurer last week. She said something was wrong with the heat and the church was only 51 degrees inside.
“[We] got the stick and came out here and put it down in the tank and found it was empty,” James said.
The local HVAC company helped them rule out any leaks in the tank.
“If it had leaked out, ground water would’ve taken its place and we had no water in the tank,” James explained.
James quickly realized someone, somehow, made off with hundreds of gallons of oil. They believe someone threaded the lock and siphoned the heating oil from the church’s 1000-gallon tank underground.
“It makes you angry and sad and frustrated because now we’re wondering, are we just going to refill it and hope nothing happens, again,” James said.
The tank was just topped off last month.
But it turns out, the thief did even more damage to the heating system.
“It was sucking from the bottom of the tank, it evidently picked up some sludge and plugged the filters and now we have the cost of that,” James said.
While insurance will cover some costs except for a hefty deductible, the church is putting out a warning for their neighbors to be aware, and on alert.
“They always say, if you see somehow say something,” James said.
The church is talking about welding the pipes or relocating the tank. They will also be installing security cameras.
If you have any information, you are asked to call state police in Greensburg.
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