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Seven die in Pennsylvania house fire
Six children and the mother of three of them died in a house fire early last Saturday morning near Waynesburg in southwestern Pennsylvania.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation but is focusing on space heaters the family was using to heat the one-and-a-half-story woodframe three-bedroom home.
...
The obvious question is: why didn’t the family have gas heat and who is responsible?
Robert Husner, who was living in the house at the time, told reporters that the gas had been cut off because the furnace was broken, and that his sister was trying to get assistance to have it repaired. The landlord of the home has refused media requests for interviews.
A spokesperson for Equitable Gas Co., the utility that provides natural gas in this area, refused to discuss specifics of the fire but instead referred to several programs that people can access for help in paying for heating bills. In reality, these programs have been severely curtailed, and it is very difficult for families to obtain support. Those who do get the support find it only pays a fraction of heating bills.
Laws that prevent utility companies from cutting off gas during the winter months are limited, and there is no restriction on cutting off service during the spring or summer. Gas utilities are not required to reconnect service during the winter or even contact disconnected customers and try to make arrangements so that their service can be restored. Equitable Gas says that the home was without gas service since May 2005.
This tragedy also points to the seldom-reported problem of extreme poverty in rural areas of the country. Green County, in southwestern Pennsylvania, has one the highest poverty rates and the lowest average income of any county in the state. Median household income was just over $31,000 in 2005 compared to $43,000 for Pennsylvania as a whole.
According to official statistics, more than 15 percent of the population lives below the poverty level. Only Philadelphia and Fayette counties have higher poverty rates. Fayette County borders on Green County and shares many of its characteristics. Homelessness is concealed, as many families live together in overcrowded homes.
More
http://wsws.org/articles/2007/feb2007/fire-f23.shtml
...
The obvious question is: why didn’t the family have gas heat and who is responsible?
Robert Husner, who was living in the house at the time, told reporters that the gas had been cut off because the furnace was broken, and that his sister was trying to get assistance to have it repaired. The landlord of the home has refused media requests for interviews.
A spokesperson for Equitable Gas Co., the utility that provides natural gas in this area, refused to discuss specifics of the fire but instead referred to several programs that people can access for help in paying for heating bills. In reality, these programs have been severely curtailed, and it is very difficult for families to obtain support. Those who do get the support find it only pays a fraction of heating bills.
Laws that prevent utility companies from cutting off gas during the winter months are limited, and there is no restriction on cutting off service during the spring or summer. Gas utilities are not required to reconnect service during the winter or even contact disconnected customers and try to make arrangements so that their service can be restored. Equitable Gas says that the home was without gas service since May 2005.
This tragedy also points to the seldom-reported problem of extreme poverty in rural areas of the country. Green County, in southwestern Pennsylvania, has one the highest poverty rates and the lowest average income of any county in the state. Median household income was just over $31,000 in 2005 compared to $43,000 for Pennsylvania as a whole.
According to official statistics, more than 15 percent of the population lives below the poverty level. Only Philadelphia and Fayette counties have higher poverty rates. Fayette County borders on Green County and shares many of its characteristics. Homelessness is concealed, as many families live together in overcrowded homes.
More
http://wsws.org/articles/2007/feb2007/fire-f23.shtml
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