Sisters Solmaria Marcucci and Rosemary Ramos did not want to be outside on Saturday.

Although the sun was out and the sky was fairly clear, the temperature hovered in the single digits in Eastern Connecticut, reaching no higher than the low teens. And although they were adamant it was too cold to be outside, the two Willimantic residents nevertheless found themselves walking along Main Street.

The pair said they live across the bridge from downtown, and had been walking for about 10 minutes.

"My phone broke," Marcucci said. "We were walking to the Boost Mobile store but it isn't even open. I wish we knew that ahead of time."

With the brutal weather, Eastern Connecticut residents said they will do whatever it takes to keep warm, including wearing some eye-catching garb.

"I think the wind is what makes it so bad," 12-year-old Rosemary said from beneath a unicorn hat. "This keeps me pretty warm."

According to reports from the National Weather Service, Saturday's wind chill forced the real-feel temperature down to -5 degrees during the day, and only anticipated the mercury going even lower.

And although the ground remained covered in windswept snow banks from Thursday's blizzard, Jocelyn Sypek, of Willimantic, said it was too cold to even think about bringing her daughters sledding.

"That would be fun, but not in these temperatures," she said.

Sypek said she keeps her family warm by staying inside unless it is absolutely necessary to go out. The family also takes advantage of a wood-burning stove at their home.

"We burn wood, oil, whatever it takes to keep warm," Sypek said.

However, with the increased reliance on heating devices, comes an increased threat of danger.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, a heat source sitting too close to combustibles causes 15 percent of winter fires in the home - the leading cause. And most fires begin between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., the administration reports, which is the window of time between when the sun goes down and people begin cuddling under blankets for the night.

Further, an average of 45,900 home heating fires occurred in the United States each year between 2013 and 2015, according to the administration. These fires caused an annual average of more than 200 deaths, as well as 725 injuries and $506 million in property loss.

Officials advise residents battling the cold to keep all heating devices three feet away from any flammable materials, do not use ovens or stoves to heat your home, have chimneys and vents cleaned and ensure your space heater has an automatic shut-off function.

Throughout the region, crews continued to shovel sidewalks and digging out fire hydrants on Saturday. Some residents were still snow-blowing their sidewalks.

However, others opted to get that over and done with as soon as possible.

"I went out there and got it done in shifts," Windham resident Elizabeth Prose said. "In total, it probably took about two hours."

Prose said she will be keeping warm by staying inside, and virtually speed-walking between the car and any building she is entering.

"The less time I spend outside, the better," she said.