ST. PAUL — They went to bed after having a cigarette and never woke up.
Or they took one last puff while on oxygen.
Their vehicle crashed and ignited on impact.
They wanted to celebrate the Fourth of July and made a mistake with fireworks.
These are just some of the causes behind the 70 deaths that occurred during fire-related emergencies in 2022. This is the highest number since 1995, when 86 people were killed by fire in Minnesota.
“To say Minnesota had 70 fire deaths in 2022 is oversimplifying the data,” stated Interim State Fire Marshal Amanda Swenson in a news release. “These deaths weren’t a result of social media challenges gone wrong. Many stem from lifestyle and behavioral decisions.”
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety State Fire Marshal Division uses two resources to determine the number of fire fatalities: internal investigation reports and Minnesota Department of Health fatality records. Data analysts compare the two lists to see which cases overlap, then determine which new cases can be considered official fire deaths.
Fifty-nine percent of all deadly fires took place in 30 counties in Greater Minnesota. Those fires accounted for 41 of the 70 deaths. There were 9.7 fatal fires per million people in the seven-county Twin Cities metro area, and in Greater Minnesota, that figure jumped to 21.4 per million people.
Forty-eight of the fire deaths were men and 22 were women. The average victim was 56 years old, although victims ranged from 6 to 90 years old.
Mental health, careless driving, substance abuse and homelessness were all factors that contributed to or caused fatal fires in Minnesota, according to the fire marshal’s office. Nine of the fire deaths last year were a result of careless smoking. Thirteen involved vehicle crashes that resulted in a fire. Twenty-nine of the 70 fire deaths occurred when drugs (whether prescription or illegal) or alcohol were present; six cases had both drugs and alcohol present.
“The data paints a tragic picture that forever impacts the lives of the loved ones left behind,” Swenson stated. “People think of a fire death as someone trapped in a burning that accidentally ignited, but they can occur under a variety of circumstances.”
The data provides a starting point to reduce fire fatalities by inviting community partners and stakeholders to participate in grassroots campaigns and investing in education initiatives to promote fire safety. These initiatives are intended to inspire behavioral changes among Minnesotans to reduce fire risks.
“This year’s data shows this work is necessary as 2023 fire deaths are already trending ahead of where they were last year,” according to the release.
