More than 10 people have died in house fires across the region since December, and Kentucky State Police responded to another deadly blaze Tuesday in Owsley County.
EASTERN KENTUCKY (WYMT) – Since December, house fires have claimed the lives of more than 10 people across the region. On Tuesday, Kentucky State Police responded to yet another fatal fire in Owsley County.
Although the exact cause of each fire remains unknown—and may never be fully determined—the Kentucky Department of Public Health identifies home heating as the second leading cause of house fires.
As the number of deadly fires continues to climb, some residents are linking the trend to rising electric rates and increased reliance on alternative heating sources.
Letcher County resident Brenda Mosley said she runs a propane heater at night to try to reduce her electric bill. She also shuts vents in unused rooms and adds insulation to windows and doors. Even though she keeps her thermostat set at 65 degrees, her monthly electric bill still climbed to nearly $500.
In a statement to WYMT, Mosley said: “I just wish AEP which owns KY Power would visit some of the families in eastern KY to see what a hardship it is to pay these power bills. The poorest part of the state pays the highest power bills and a lot of folks are moving away because of that.”
Another Eastern Kentucky resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said he remains on a payment plan from last winter that adds about $300 to his current monthly bill. As a result, he said his family has had to cut back on food.
State Sen. Brandon Smith (R-30th District) said rising utility rates may be pushing residents toward alternative heating methods. He added that he is working on legislative measures aimed at addressing those rate increases.
“So, if there’s something we can do to alleviate it, we’re going to work on it. We’ve got several measures right now that are getting ready to come in front of my committee to try to help us address getting some of these rates down,” Smith said.
Smith emphasized that using external heating sources should be a matter of choice, not financial pressure.
“If you want to have a coal stove or these type of things or you’re camping, I want that to be something you do as a choice, not because you have to do it…not a necessity to mitigate so you can have money for groceries,” Smith said.
Beth Vaughn of Perry County said mountain communities deserve better solutions.
“People are going to do what they need to do to survive, and sadly that usually sometimes ends up in devastation,” Vaughn said.
In a statement, Kentucky Power encouraged customers to take advantage of programs designed to prevent bill spikes during extreme weather, including its AMP and Energy Advance for Home programs.
The company also announced that the Public Service Commission approved its request to defer $5 million in fuel costs to help reduce the impact on customer bills, effective Wednesday.
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