| Winter blew into Henryetta Wednesday poking icy fingers into every exposed surface. For a lot of people that means getting closer to any heat source they can find. Sales of heaters have been about as brisk as the north wind with shelves cleared out about as fast as they can be stocked. Burnett Hardware reported recent sales have nearly depleted stocks of the electric and gas heaters. About the only ones left Wednesday morning were propane-fueled heaters. At Wal Mart, the story was the same. Shelves that contained ample stocks of electric heaters a week ago were nearly barren. One sales person said they would get replacement heaters only to be sold out within hours. |  |
| The increased use of those heaters has firemen nervously answering the phone when it rings. Fire Chief David Bullard urged residents to be careful with the heaters. He pointed out recent statistics indicated one third of home heating fires were caused by space heaters. Bullard cautioned everyone to keep any flammable objects away from heating equipment. "That includes upholstered furniture, clothing mattress or bedding." Nationally in 2011, around 53,600 home structure fires were believed to have happened through heating equipment. There were 400 deaths and 1,520 injuries. City water department crews are watching the falling temperatures waiting for leaks caused by freezing ground around the pipes. Each winter, the freeze-thaw cycle results in soil shifting putting stress on already old water lines. Water breaks from frozen pipes are sure to have plumbers working overtime in the coming days. Residents are encouraged to let their faucets drip throughout the night in order to keep water moving through the pipes. Click here for safety tips regarding space heaters. | |
