ROANOKE, Va. – As temperatures drop on Tuesday night and into Wednesday, people will be doing whatever they can to stay warm.
Sometimes, extreme measures to heat homes can lead to problems.
“You should never use your oven to heat your home or bring in a gas grill or charcoal grill into your home - there is an extreme carbon monoxide danger from doing that,” said Community Outreach Coordinator for Roanoke County Fire and Rescue, Brian Clingenpeel.
Using a second heat source is fine when done appropriately, like using a space heater or a fireplace.
When using these types of secondary heat sources, officials want you to be extra aware.
“Anything that can burn being too close to anything that gets hot. So 3 feet from the heat. So anything that can burn needs to be kept three feet away from fireplaces, space heaters, wood stoves,” said Clingenpeel.
Appalachian Power said their grid is prepared to handle the increased demand expected with these frigid temperatures.
“Our infrastructure is built to withstand these extreme temperatures but anything can happen. prepare for the possibility of outages. Make sure you have your flashlights your chargers,” said Appalachian Power Spokesperson, George Porter.
Another way to prepare for the extreme cold, turn faucets on to a slow drip to try and prevent water pipes from freezing.
If pipes do freeze, fire officials urge people not to try and defrost them themselves.