Fire deaths rose last year in NC. Here’s who was more likely to die and when.
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- Fire deaths in North Carolina rose 30% to 159, state fire marshal says.
- About half of victims were age 65 and older. Men more likely to die than women.
- Over half occurred in homes without working smoke alarms; winter months peak.
The Office of the State Fire Marshal says 159 people died in fires in North Carolina last year. That’s 30% more than the 122 who died a year earlier.
In addition to the death toll, a report released by the fire marshal’s office last week also provides some details about who was more likely to die in fires and under what circumstances.
Here’s what the numbers show:
- Older adults: About half of those killed in fires were age 65 and older. Children under 18 accounted for just 7% of deaths. Older adults are more likely to be less mobile, have health problems and live alone, according to the report.
- Gender difference: Men were more likely to die than women, accounting for 57% of fire deaths.
- Smoke alarms: More than half of fire deaths occurred in homes without working smoke alarms. Only 15 people died in homes with working smoke alarms.
- Season matters: Winter months, when days are shorter and people are more likely to heat their homes, accounted for the largest share of fire deaths. Thirty people died in fires in December, for example, compared to two in June.
- Time of day: Fire deaths are concentrated in the early morning hours, between 1 and 4 a.m., when people are asleep.
- Cause: The largest number of deaths, 29, occurred in fires caused by some sort of “electrical” problem. The next common causes were smoking and “heating appliances,” which each accounted for 25 deaths.
The vast majority of fires were accidental house fires. It’s possible that more people would have survived them had they had a functioning smoke alarm, said Brian Taylor, the state fire marshal.
“The data shows us exactly where the risks are — older adults, residential fires and homes without working smoke alarms,” Taylor said in a statement. “These tragedies are preventable. A working smoke alarm gives families the seconds they need to survive.”
So far this year, 36 people have died in fires in North Carolina, according to the fire marshal’s office. While winter months are more dangerous, the number suggests North Carolina is “on pace for another devastating year.”
