Safety precautions in bitter cold

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — When winter turns ugly, one of the biggest concerns is frozen pipes.

"It can ring up 10, 15, 25 thousand dollars depending on how much water runs down," said Tim Young of Country Financial. "It adds up in a hurry."

Having water drip from faucets throughout the day can help ensure that the pipes in your home won't freeze.

A popular device in the winter is space heaters.

"When you're setting them up and when you're making sure that they're in a location in your house heating up, you know, make sure that you keep at least three feet of space really on all sides from any sort of flammable material around the heater." Jayce Eustice of the American Red Cross continued, saying, "This includes placing it on a hard and non flammable surface like a ceramic tile floor."

You should not plug in your space heaters on carpets or rugs and keep them away from drapes or curtains.