(FORTUNE Magazine) – Thanks to the crisis in the Persian Gulf, the wood-burning stove is making a comeback. Homeowners scared by the high cost of fuel oil have been rushing to buy before winter sets in. The wood stove industry, which had revenues of $100 million last year, reported a 20% sales jump in August and September, the traditional start of the stove-buying season. Sales were especially strong in the Northeast, says Jack Hughes, president of Vermont Castings, one of the largest U.S. stovemakers. The industry boomed amid the energy crises of the 1970s and went cold for much of the 1980s. Many companies left the business after the Environmental Protection Agency issued rules requiring stoves to emit less smoke. Stoves today are equipped with either a catalytic converter or a secondary burning chamber. At prices as high as $2,500, they are also prettier than before: Consumers can find them in red and blue as well as the traditional black.