People across the region are turning up the heat inside their houses as an arctic blast sweeps through the area.
For Keshona Bentley however, pressing her thermostat does nothing. Bentley has no heat in her home on Carla’s Lane in Chester, Pennsylvania.
"It’s stressful," Bentley said. "It’s real stressful."
But this is nothing new for Bentley and her 3-year-old daughter Kamiyah. Bentley says she hasn’t had heat for her daughter’s entire life.
"I’ve been here for like three years," Bentley said. “The whole time I’ve been here we haven’t really had heat. So I’ve been using my oven.”
Bentley says she lost her job last October and is also behind on her bills. Bentley’s only sources of heat are the wide open oven and a space heater in the hallway outside her bedroom. The open oven presents a huge safety hazard with a toddler roaming around.
“She is always at school during the day and with me during the night,” Bentley said. “We’re always upstairs anyway.”
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Bentley says she isn’t the only person living on her block without heat.
“I’m pretty sure they’re all going through the same thing,” Bentley said. “A lot of people don’t have heat.”
NBC10 reached out to the Chester Housing Authority for comment. They have not yet returned our calls however.
The Philadelphia Fire Department advises to never use an oven to heat your home. The department also has other tips for protecting your home from fire during the winter here.
