CARMEL, N.Y. (AP)  -- Home heating oil in the northern suburbs of New York city has hit $4.20 per gallon. That means filling a 500 gallon tank in May costs about $2,100.

Putnam Emergency Services Commissioner Robert McMahon worries that the high cost of heating oil and gasoline for cars and homes will force people to do dumb things - like storing large quantities of flammable material in the homes and basements.

McMahon says during the last gas crunch there were numerous reports of people carrying five and ten gallon gas cans in their vehicles. He says one person went to a junk yard and picked up a 200 gallon tank and put it in his home. One gallon of gasoline has the explosive power of a stick of dynamite. McMahon says storing gas in the house is a a recipe for disaster.

He's urging people to get their chimneys and woodburning stoves cleaned now for the fall season. He predicts people will be burning everything in their fireplaces next winter to stay warm.