“It’s Only Because There’s a Fire That You Even Know About This”

The quote is from Hammond, Indiana city attorney Kristina Kantar talking about a fire that killed three children during a cold snap. The family’s rental power had been cut after they failed to pay their electric bill; it is suspected that propane heaters started the blaze.

Think Progress reports that there is a federal program to provide assistance to those who cannot afford heat: the low-income energy assistance program (LIHEAP). Twenty million people in the U.S. are in the program, which provides stipends up to $500 starting in October for heat assistance. The average household heating cost in Indiana is $530.

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