LUBBOCK AVALANCHE-JOURNAL • lubbockonline.com

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“Rodica loved life and shared her joy with all of those fortunate enough to know her. She was a talented cook who often shared her creations with her colleagues,” the memorial reads. “She and her husband, Razvan Gelca, loved to kayak and ski and hike, and often traveled to explore National Parks across Texas and New Mexico, as well as in their

Easter candy and decorations available during the holiday Thursday, March 29, 2018, at The Candy Wrapper in Lubbock, Texas. [BRAD TOLLEFSON/A-J MEDIA]

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BASKETS

Top 3 candy holidays in the United States

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Halloween - $2.7 billion in sales Easter - $2.6 billion in sales Valentine’s Day - $1.8 billion in sales

Her store was stocked this week with themed Easter baskets, chocolate bunnies and eggs and an assortment of bright- or pastel-colored jelly beans and other candies. “Easter and all the holidays are busy for us,” she said. She sees grandparents and others with soon-to-be egg hunters in their lives coming in looking for higher-end or unique candy they can’t necessarily find elsewhere. “It’s a different experience,” she said. “We let them put together their own Easter baskets or they’re looking for different candy or wanting to mix and match with different bags and different colors.” That’s not necessarily the objective a lot of shoppers have on a bulk candy holiday like Halloween or Easter, she said, acknowledging many go to grocery stores or national retailers for candy with a lower price point if they’re giving it away or buying in large quantities. Instead, Easter for her store focuses on customers looking to fill their baskets with custom candies, sometimes on a color theme. Often, a local candy store or sweet shop like hers sees more action during some of the other,

FIRE

Source: National Retail Federation projections for the 2017 and 2018 holidays less volume-focused candy holidays. “Valentine’s is still our biggest candy holiday, and Mother’s Day does well,” she said. Valentine’s Day candy sales typically come in third, according data from the retail federation and Nielsen, although confection sales for the Christmas/winter holidays could also make a claim. But seeing where Christmas candy ranks is a bit more muddled, with sales for sweets during the November and December holiday season spread over a larger period of time - and the focus of giving during those holidays is aimed at other, bigger-ticket items. As for this year’s Easter candy sales, a total of 81 percent of Americans are expected to celebrate the holiday and spend an average of $150 per person, down from last year’s previous record of $152, according to the annual survey released last month by

the retail federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. “Despite a modest drop, the Easter forecast is still very positive and nearly as high as last year’s record,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said in a news release. “Consumer spending remains healthy both for this holiday and this spring, and that paints an optimistic picture for the U.S. economy in the year ahead.” According to the survey, consumers will spend $5.7 billion on food (purchased by 87 percent of shoppers), $3.2 billion on clothing (48 percent), $2.9 billion on gifts (61 percent), $2.6 billion on candy (89 percent), $1.3 billion on flowers (39 percent), $1.1 billion on decorations (42 percent) and $780 million on greeting cards (46 percent). “With more than three-quarters of consumers saying they will celebrate Easter this year, the holiday continues to be a traditional staple for Americans,” Prosper Insights Executive Vice President of Strategy Phil Rist said in the release. “We continue to see consumers across ages, genders, regions and disposable incomes participate in this holiday.” The survey, which asked 7,737 consumers about their Easter plans, was conducted March 2-14 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.1 percentage points.

The heat from the fire “impinged on several cylinders of compressed gas,” according to LFR’s statement. “The cylinders reached an overpressure point and exploded just prior to the arrival of Lubbock Fire Rescue,” the statement reads. “Several other explosions occurred as other cylinders reached the point of overpressure over the next several minutes as firefighters fought to bring it under control.” Investigators also did not state what compressed gas was in the containers, with LFR stating more details will be released as it becomes available. “Determination of the initial cause of the fire was severely hampered by damage caused by the exploding cylinders,” the statement reads. “Today’s scene examination is part of an overall investigation into this incident that will be ongoing.” By Thursday afternoon, though, neighbors around

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home country of Romania.” The Climate Science Center in collaboration with the Department of Mathematics & Statistics have started a GoFundMe page to assist the Gelca family with financial needs. Remaining funds will go towards the newly established Rodica Gelca Memorial Scholarship. Donations can also directly be made to the scholarship fund through the university’s Institutional Advancement website. Memorial and funeral services for Gelca will be held next week.

the house told the A-J that investigators who were on scene during the day told them they were safe and had not been exposed to hazardous materials. Officers responding to the scene located multiple victims, according to Lubbock police, including a resident of the house, 72-year-old John Fleming, who would later be pronounced dead at a Lubbock hospital. His neighbor, 45-year-old Rodica Gelca, was injured while trying to help extinguish the fire and was later pronounced dead at University Medical Center. Two other civilians were also taken to UMC with nonlife-threatening injuries, while three Lubbock firefighters were treated for injuries, including one firefighter who was hospitalized after falling into a cellar. According to a 2011 A-J article, Fleming was a consulting engineer on a research project to inexpensively manufacture ammonia that they hoped could be used for carbon-emission-free vehicle fuel. Officials don’t believe the fire was criminal in nature, LFR said in a statement Wednesday.

Corrections If we’ve made a mistake, we want to know so we can get it right. To comment about accuracy and coverage, call Adam Young, local news editor, at 766-8725.